Impossible Or Just Highly Unlikely?
by aandm20
Summary: Amanda just wanted to relax after a hard days work, who knew that a migraine would change her future forever. Doctor/OC. Takes place just before season 1 and continues on to season 2. and yes, Rose is still involved
1. Migraine From Hell

_**This is my first Doctor Who fanfiction! I know there's already a couple of "OC from our world travels with The Doctor" fics out there, but I've read them all in hopes that mine will be different! The biggest change probably won't be noticeable till the next chapter, but it should be what sets mine apart! Well, I hope you like it!**_

_**Disclaimer:**__** I don't own Doctor Who in any way, shape, or form and I don't want money. This is only here for amusement.**_

_*Story starts just before the first episode of season 1 ('Rose' starts on chapter 2) and will continue from there (every chapter will be an episode).*_

_**Impossible or Just Highly Unlikely?**_

_(Migraine From Hell)_

*******Reality: Virginia, USA/ Year 2012*******

Amanda gave her work area one final inspection to be sure that it was in order. After such a stressful day the last thing she wanted to worry about was her OCD boss ranting about it later. Murphy's Law had been in full affect that day and she needed to find some way to relax before her brain exploded. As the front desk manager it was her job to deal with everyone's crap but she was thankful that her shift was finally over.

"I swear tourist season is going to be the death of me", she thought in exasperation.

The customers were not always right. As a matter of fact, they reminded her of overgrown toddlers. They are always throwing tantrums in hopes of being annoying enough to get something for free.

As she was locking up the office, she decided to call her friend, Ronnie, to see if she wanted to meet up for drinks. She took out her black HP Veer Palm-phone (the sleek smartphone that reminded her of a star trek communicator but with more gadgets) and dialed the familiar number. It rang four times before she heard the loud, and slightly nasally voice that belonged to her friend.

"Hey girly! What's up?"

Amanda smiled. She was worried for a moment there. If Ronnie didn't answer, she would have ended up having to go out alone. That concern was unusual, as Amanda preferred her solitude. She was more of a people watcher than a socializer. If she had her way, she would go days without direct human contact. However, tonight was one of those nights that she could really use the company.

"Hey! I just got off work and thought that I would head over to 'Absolem' and snag a few shots of Green Apple Pucker and some fruity-flavored shisha. Care to join me?"

'Absolem' was the hookah bar that the two friends would occasionally meet up at. It was a great place to hang out and de-stress after a long day. It was named for the caterpillar from 'Alice In Wonderland' that smokes a hookah. The bar had a hazy, steam-punk meets a Tim Burton garden party kind of theme. Ronnie would watch Amanda blow smoke rings while they relaxed with board games or movies on their computers. It was a place where they could vent about their lives and catch up with one another.

"Sure! Are you on your way now?"

She sounded as though she was being rescued from her own boredom. Amanda grinned at her luck.

"Yep! Just going to stop off at my place real quick to change and then I'll be on my way."

"Sweet, I'll meet you there! See you in a bit and I'll bring my computer so you can show me some more Doctor Who episodes! You've really got me hooked."

Amanda's grin grew wider as she let out a mock-evil laugh.

"Mwah ha ha ha... Really though, that would be awesome!"

"You bet! See you in a bit!"

"Bye Ro—"

Ronnie had hung up before she could finish. Amanda sighed.

'_Why doesn't anyone say goodbye anymore?_'

She headed to her car, a Mitsubishi ASX. It was easy to spot. The sleek SUV was her baby, she loved her car; it took her forever to save up for the custom paint job. It was covered in mock TARDIS Blue, wooden paneling. Her friends thought she was nuts but she didn't care. When she hopped in, she even started singing the Doctor Who opening theme song just for laughs and pulled out of the parking lot to make her way to her apartment.

She only lived about five minutes away from the hotel and about twenty minutes away from the hookah bar so she wasn't in much of a rush. Once inside her apartment, she unwound her auburn hair, taking it of its tight bun. She brushed it out and braided the sides back into a ponytail, leaving it half up and half down with a navy blue ribbon tied in a bow to keep it in place. It flowed in slight waves about two inches past her shoulders. Next, she touched up the little make-up she wore. It was simple, only enough to emphasize her stormy blue eyes a bit. A light application of black eye-liner and just a touch of dark gray eye shadow.

After that, she methodically changed out of her black work slacks and pastel blue polo. She noticed that they still smelled like the stuffy hotel lobby. Once into a pair of dark blue-jeans; black flats; and a short, black Lolita dress she felt more like herself. The dress was a slightly ruffled number with a bit of lace. It had two inch wide shoulder straps and a medium-sized black bow just under the bust. To finish off the ensemble, she tied a navy blue ribbon around her neck, like a choker, to match the one in her hair.

She gave herself a once-over in her floor-length mirror and smiled in satisfaction. Her smile suddenly turned into a grimace. With a sharp intake of breath, she clutched her head in pain. It was the worst migraine she had ever experienced, but it was gone just as quickly as it had appeared. The only thing to mark its departure was a slight tingle that ran down her spine.

'_That was weird._'

She shook her head to clear it and took a deep, soothing breath. She looked back at her reflection and noticed that her skin was a bit paler than usual.

'_Hope I'm not coming down with something._'

Maybe it was just dehydration. She sat down and drank some cool water. Satisfied that she had recovered, it was finally time to enjoy her night out. She grabbed her keys and headed back to her car. Twenty-two minutes later she had parked and was walking down the street. Out of nowhere, she could have sworn that she heard the sound of the TARDIS materializing as if it were somewhere nearby and then it stopped. She glanced around but saw nothing. She kept walking but not ten seconds later she heard it again, but this time it sounded as if it were right next to her. She sighed and shouted.

"RONNIE I SWEAR TO GOD, IF THAT IS YOU WITH YOUR COMPUTER, I WILL SLAP YOU! You promised me you would never do that!"

Just a few days prior, while introducing Ronnie to the series, she toyed with the idea of sneaking up and pranking Amanda with the sound. Ronnie agreed not to after being thoroughly threatened.

Amanda was pissed. 'I can't believe she actually did it! That is just cruel. That JERK!'

She looked around but didn't see Ronnie anywhere, only the random pedestrians giving her funny looks for yelling at nothing but air.

"Good Lord! I must be going crazy after all." She laughed humorlessly.

She continued to walk towards the crosswalk that lead to the hookah bar. As she got closer, she could see Ronnie standing just outside, waiting for her.

'_Nope, definitely wasn't her making the noise. I guess it really was just in my head._'

She waved to her friend as she pressed the button for the crosswalk and flinched back when it shocked her.

"Wowza, that smartz!", she cursed loudly.

When the light gave her the OK, she began to make her way across the street. Inexplicably, she started to feel like something was wrong. The tingling sensation ran through her spine again but this time it was stronger and more uncomfortable, almost painful. Something wet dripped from her nose. She reached up and pulled her hand back to see blood. She was starting to shake. Now is the time to become worried. When she was half way across, the world became silent and she stopped. She could no longer hear the cars or people. She couldn't hear anything outside her own footsteps and shallow breathing. She reached for her ears to find that they were bleeding as well and she started to panic. When she looked back to her friend to call for help, her body went cold and her eyes grew wide in both shock and fear.

Ronnie was frozen in place, mid-wave, and with a smile on her face. Amanda looked around her and realized that it wasn't just Ronnie, but everyone and everything! People, cars, the TVs in shop windows; even the wind stopped blowing. It was as if the world was frozen, suspended in time. Her eyes began to sting as blood steadily pooled out of them.

She started to convulse. Suddenly, the migraine from earlier came back with intensity. Her head continued to pulse and the pain amplified until she was screaming in agony. As she started to fall, she was vaguely aware that she had no control to catch herself. Abruptly, Amanda was struck by blue lightning and disappeared as if she was never there.

The world started back up again and no one noticed that there was someone missing. Ronnie put down her hand and blinked in confusion. She frowned and looked around.

"Why am I standing here…and with my computer?"

She looked up at the sign of the building she was standing near. It read "Absolem".

"Hhhuuh. Well, since I'm here, I might as well check it out."

She shrugged away the strange feeling and walked inside.

*******Alternate Universe: London, UK/ year 2005*******

The Doctor laughed as he was roughly shaken around while he was flying through the Vortex.

"What do you say Old Girl? After that mishap with Krakatoa, I think we could use a break. We'll just hang here in the Vortex for a day or two. Sound good?"

He fell to the floor when the TARDIS suddenly gave a violent jerk and groaned loudly.

"Temporal shift?"

He quickly jumped up and ran around the console to the monitors. The screens went staticky. The controls started to smoke and spark as the TARDIS continued to wheeze in a strange way.

"What's wrong, what's happening?" He asked her, worriedly, and started to fiddle with the different buttons and leavers while trying to hold on at the same time as she continued to jerk around violently. "Where are you taking us?"

The TARDIS gave one more groan as she shuddered to a stop, throwing the Doctor to the ground again.

"Are you all right?" He asked his ship.

She hummed and the Doctor smiled at the fact that she at least sounded like herself again.

"So where are we?"

He ran to the door and stepped outside.

"Ah, London, 2005...Okaaaay…"

He walked out from the alleyway and onto the busy sidewalk. He stopped as he felt a sharp pain in his head and he flinched.

"Something's wrong." He gasped.

Then, everything around him froze, everything and everyone, even the planet. It no longer turned beneath his feet. Time just…stopped.

"What?"

He heard a crackling sound a felt the atmosphere shift slightly. There was a metallic scent in the air and he could practically taste the electrical energy. He looked up just as a bolt of blue lightning struck the ground 20 yards away with a loud 'SHWACK', leaving behind a young girl.

"WHAT?"

The Doctor's eyes were wide as he stood there momentarily frozen in shock and confusion, but he quickly jumped into action as he realized she was falling to the ground and screaming in agony, clutching her head. He ran to her side and knelt down next to her shaking form. He reached out his hand towards her shoulder.

"Miss, what's wrong, what's happened, where are you hurt? It's your head, yah? Everything's going to be all right. Let me see, can you look at me?"

He tried to be gentle as he rubbed soothing circles on her back and reached is other hand around to turn her head so he could see her face. She had stopped screaming and was now only whimpering. He could tell by the way she was shaking that she was still in pain and was most definitely scared. It seemed she was having trouble catching her breath as well.

"There now, it's all right. My name's The Doctor. I can help you."

He gasped when he saw her face. Her skin was sickly pale and she was bleeding out of her ears, nose, and eyes. When his palm touched her cheek, he felt that her skin was ice cold. Falling out of a bolt of lightning, one would assume that she would be burning up. He then realized that she wasn't just shaking from fear and pain, but was in fact violently shivering. He felt sorry for her.

"You pour thing. Sorry, I'm so sorry. Here, let me see. I promise this won't hurt a bit, just look at me."

He placed his hands to the sides of her face and stared into her eyes to try and see into her mind. He immediately jumped back as if he had been shocked. His mind throbbed in pain for a moment as he tried to reassemble his thoughts. Her mind was a mess. It was rushing about in a staticky blur at a million miles a second in total chaos and confusion. He knew he wouldn't be able to get any information about how she appeared out of nowhere until he could get her calmed down enough to sort out her thoughts. He stared into her eyes. The way she was looking at him was a bit unnerving, as if she was in awe that he even existed.

"What's your name?" he asked her.

She opened and closed her mouth a few times as if she was trying to remember how to speak. It worried him a bit and he hoped that her brain wasn't actually fried.

"It's okay, just calm down. Take your t—"

"a a amanda."

It came out as a small, shaky whisper and he almost missed it.

"What?" He leaned in closer.

"Amanda." She took a deep breath and said a bit stronger. "My name is Amanda."

The Doctor smiled at her with his cheeky grin. He couldn't help himself. Though he was worried about her mental health, he couldn't help but be just a little excited as well at the situation. He had never witnessed anything like this before.

"Nice to meet you Amanda! Really, it is!"

She gave him a soft smile in return, but immediately gasped in pain and passed into unconsciousness. The Doctor's smile disappeared as he caught her just before her head hit the ground. He quickly jumped into doctor mode as he lifted her of the ground bridle style and ran back towards his ship, trying not to jostle her too much. He needed to get her into the sick-bay's stasis chamber so he could do a full body scan and run a complete diagnostic and bio-read.

'_Who is this girl and where the hell did she come from?_'

While she slept and the scans did their thing, he ran to the console room and put the TARDIS back into the Vortex. He hadn't even noticed that as soon as he had picked her up to carry her back to his ship, time unfroze and the world went back to normal. Nobody noticed that there was an extra person in it.

_**Thank you for reading! I hope you enjoyed the first chapter! The next chapter will be the start of season one and Rose will enter the picture! Please review and tell me what you think so far…the next chapter will be up soon!**_

_**P.S. I will eventually post pictures on my profile...so keep an eye out!**_


	2. Amanda & Rose'

**Sorry for such a long wait! I can only post as fast as my beta returns my work. She already has the next two chapters and should have them back to me soon! YAY! Hope you enjoy!**

**Thank you to **sora0995, HayatoxAkemi, Even Angels Cry, jedimasterstar, and M, **for being my first reviewers! You guys rock at life! **

***Also, If you're interested, you can check out my profile where I've posted links to pictures for this story!**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Doctor Who, this is just for fun!**

_**Impossible Or Just Highly Unlikely?**_

'_Amanda & Rose'_

*******TARDIS/ Vortex/ Six hours after girl appeared*******

The Doctor was lying underneath the console; tinkering with his sonic screwdriver. The TARDIS had crashed to Earth a few hours earlier and one of the circuit boards had shaken loose. The exposed wires were in desperate need of attention.

While he was fiddling about, his mind couldn't help but stray to thoughts of the girl who was unconscious in the sick bay.

'_Amanda. Who is she? Where and more importantly, when, did she come from? Will she be okay or am I going to have to… no, NO… she's going to be fine._'  
>The Doctor let out an exhausted sigh that turned into a soft chuckle.<br>'_Well, this is definitely one of the more interesting things that have happened to me so far, at least in this regeneration._'

The circuit board suddenly sparked; making the Doctor yelp in pain as it shocked his finger. He stuck his injured finger into his mouth and made a face like a pitiful two-year-old.

"What was that for", he whined to his ship.

The TARDIS made a soft humming sound, urging him to check the monitors. He rolled out from under the console and jumped up to check the screens. A manic grin spread across his face as he realized what the TARDIS was trying to tell him. The mystery girl was finally waking up. He ran straight to the sick bay to let her out of the stasis chamber. So excited to finally get some answers, he nearly tripped over his own legs twice.

*******In the TARDIS Sick Bay*******

Pain, for a while, that's all Amanda was aware of. It overwhelmed her, filled her up and screamed inside her head, dulling her senses until….nothing. She was floating in a black nothingness. There was no time, no space, no up or down, no light or sound or sensation of any kind. The nothingness seemed to go on forever.

'_Am I dead?_'

She couldn't help but wonder to herself. '_It's somewhat relaxing, but I have to admit that it's a little anti-climactic. Where are the bright lights and the pearly gates? I don't hear choirs of angels. It can't be Hell either…can it?_' She started to worry just a bit.

Slowly, sensation started to return to her. She felt as if she was falling… or was she rising… she was so dizzy. Her senses were returning. She could feel that she was lying on something soft. '_Is this cotton…no, it's too soft._' She gripped the material tighter in her hands. It felt nice. The air smelled sterile, but with a slight hint of—'wait, _is that pomegranate?_' She sniffed again—'_And mint?_' As her hearing returned, she became aware of some very strange sounds like whirring, tapping, scratches, bubbling, the occasional ding, and something that resembled the sound of a zipper. Yet overpowering all of those sounds was the tell-tale beeps of monitors that could mean only one thing—'_I must be in a hospital!_'

She tried to open her eyes but immediately closed them, wincing in pain as the bright lights burned her retinas.

"Oh! Sorry… just a second." She heard the strong alto of a male's voice say from somewhere nearby.

From behind her eyelids she could tell that he must have dimmed the lights a bit to make it easier for her to see.

"There you go, all better."

The man had an interesting accent that sounded—'_British… maybe?_' She was confused. Why would her doctor have an accent? Slowly she attempted to open her eyes again. Satisfied that the light was no longer painful, she blinked a few times to clear her vision. When everything was back into focus, she looked to her right to see a man smiling down at her with a hint of concern in his eyes.

"Hello there! Welcome back to the land of the conscious." His smile softened. "How do you feel?"

"Uuumm, sore a-and confused", she answered her voice a little hoarse.

"Well, that's to be expected." He handed her a glass of water. "Here, this should help with your throat."

Amanda took the water and sipped it while she took in her surroundings and the man who sat next to her. The room was of average size and the walls were made of a strange material that reminded her of—'_Coral?_' There were three other beds along the wall and she couldn't recognize any of the equipment. All-in-all, the whole place looked rather sci-fi. The man was just as out-of-place. There was nothing off about him physically. Big ears, big nose, very short hair, and the deepest, bluest eyes she'd ever seen. His eyes were so… old….but they suited him. No, the thing that she found strange about this man was his clothing. He wore a black leather jacket over a maroon shirt with black pants. She handed the glass back to him and spoke, her voice sounding more like herself again.

"This room is…..different, I don't recognize any of these machines. For that matter, you're wearing neither a white coat nor scrubs, and you sound British. This…all of this-", she gestured to everything around her, "-It's wrong. I'm not in a hospital."

It wasn't a question but The Doctor answered her anyways, his face becoming more serious.

"No, this isn't a hospital."

"Where am I then, how did I get here", she asked hesitantly, bracing herself for the answer.

"You are in the sick-bay. It's a sort of medical ward on my spaceship. We are currently in flight through what's called The Time Vortex. I brought you here after I found you in the middle of a street in downtown London. You had just appeared out of nowhere, falling out of some sort of electrical pulse stream. I tried to track the signal so I could find the source, but by the time I had gotten you all sorted in here, the trail had disappeared as if it was never there. Knocked me clear out of the vortex by the way. Made me crash, smack down to Earth." The Doctor was frowning now.

"Sorry." She looked away feeling horrible about possibly having caused so much damage.

As if someone flipped a switch, he smiled brightly at her.

'_Is this guy bipolar or something?_' She couldn't help but wonder.

"It's okay! She's resilient, my ship!" He patted the walls in a loving gesture. "It'll take a lot more than that to cause any _lasting_damage." Then his face became serious again.

'_Yep, bipolar._'

"It was all very touch-and-go there for a while. I wasn't sure if you were going to make it. According to the scans, your body took a major beating. You somehow managed to come through the void without any form of stabilizer. You're the only being I've ever heard of that's done it and lived to tell _me_about it." The end of that sentence sounded more like a hopeful question.

Amanda stared off into space for a moment, trying to absorb the information. The Doctor watched her face go through different emotions before it settled on calm. '_So I'm lucky to be alive then. But what happens next? Oh my head…..it's still so…so…._'

"You know, you're taking this surprisingly well. I've just told you that we're in a spaceship, traveling through a Time Vortex, that you came through The Void, and here you are just as calm as can be. I have to know…. What are you thinking? What's going on in that bruised little brain of yours?"

When Amanda looked up at him she couldn't help the small smile that appeared. His face, it was like he was a little kid, watching a magician teaching him how to do a magic trick. He was genuinely curious. There was something else about his face though. It's like she had seen him somewhere before, but she couldn't for the life of her, figure out where, like deja vu. It was starting to bug her. She sighed and shook away the feeling. The Doctor noticed this but didn't say anything, waiting for her answer.

"I suppose, I could still be in shock, somewhat. I-I don't really know. Right now, my 'bruised _little_brain' has its priorities set on the fact that I'm alive and lucky to be so. I mean everything you've said is a bit overwhelming, yeah, but…..Worse things could have happened. You've implied that I could have died traveling through this-this 'Void', but I didn't and space travel, I mean come on…If you're not trying to take advantage of my fragile state of mind and are actually telling me the truth….."

The Doctor stared at her and held it, waiting for her to continue. He watched her smile slowly grow.

"Then that is friggin awesome! I mean space travel, come on, who's never dreamed of doing that?"

The Doctor looked at her for a moment longer with an expressionless face and then, very seriously said,—

"You….are…." His face flipped a switch again and turned into a frenzied grin. "FANTASTIC!"

They both smiled at each other and shared a laugh before Amanda's face became serious again.

"Don't get me wrong though, my brain is still playing catch up at the moment. I promise to have a proper freak-out later on in private."

The Doctor gave her a comforting and understanding smile.

"Of course and you deserve one too, but first…..questions."

She took a deep breath to relax and prepare herself.

"Okay, shoot." She nodded at him to start.

"Just before I brought you aboard, while you were still only semi-conscious, you said your name was Amanda. Is that right? Oh I'm The Doctor by the way, in case you forgot."

"Yep, that's me, I'm Amanda." She smiled. "So…Doctor who", she asked him.

"Nope, that's it. Just The Doctor." He mentally rolled his eyes, ready for the comments and jabs at his name, but was surprised to hear her say,—

"Sweet."

"What?" He looked at her confused and she laughed.

"I said 'sweet', as in 'cool', 'nice', 'I like it'. Besides, if you think about it, it's rather fitting. I mean you did save my life and give me medical attention and…..why are you looking at me like that?"

The Doctor was still staring at her with a confused look on his face.

"So no 'that's a silly name' or 'no, really, what is it' or 'are you daft, you've got to have a proper name'?"

"Hey! If Cher, Shakirah, Madonna and Mr. T can do it, why can't you? Besides, at least yours is dignified, not like Eminem, Ice T, or Flava Flav."

He grinned at her again. '_Hhmmm, smiling must be his favorite!_' She mentally laughed. '_It's nice to see that in a guy._'

"So, Amanda, how about you? Any last name to go with it?"

"Oh, it's—uummm—it's….."

She stopped smiling. Her face began to contort as she tried to remember her last name.

'_What is it?_'

She stared at the Doctor and gasped.

"I don't know."

"How old are you?" he tried.

She tried harder, searching deeper into her mind, but no luck. She shook her head.

"I don't—I don't know!"

She was clearly starting to worry.

"Where are you from? Who are your parents? Do you have any siblings or pets? Any allergies, hobbies, did you have a job?"

He tried to give her options but it seemed to be making things worse. Her face twisted in panic as she tried to force herself to remember. Her breathing started to become erratic so the Doctor tried to calm her down.

"Hey, hey, sshhhh. It's okay, just calm down. Deep breaths. Remember, you said you wanted to have your break-down in private _later_? "

Her breathing started to steady and he sighed in relief.

"Good, that's it, nice and calm. Don't try to force your memories; the mind is a fragile thing. Just relax and let them come to you as they like. What's the last thing you do remember?"

'_Pain_', she thought.

Taking a few more deep breaths to relax herself, she waited for something to come to her. Suddenly, her face lit up with hope.

"Did you remember something", he asked excitedly.

"No!", she said happily.

The Doctor was confused.

"So, then why are you so happy?"

"Did I happen to have a purse or bag of some kind with me when you found me?" she asked while practically bouncing on her bed.

The Doctor smiled back just as happy when he realized what she was getting at. He ran over to a table that was across the room to grab the satchel that he had tossed there earlier and brought it back to her. She immediately dumped out the contents onto the bed and shouted "Ah-Ha!" when she found what she was looking for. She held up a wallet. It was small and made of worn denim.

"This should tell us something right?" She grinned.

He took the wallet from her and started to look through it, pulling out cards and bits of paper. "Ah!" He held up her ID.

"According to this, your name is Amanda Winters. You were born on December 24, 1989." This made the Doctor chuckle a bit. "You live in Richmond, Virginia. Figured you for an American, what with the accent and all."

"Hey! Don't make fun!" She rolled her eyes to which he returned a cheeky smirk.

He put away her ID and noticed that she had a medical card.

"Looks like you're allergic to capsaicin and cinnamon. Well that's random. Also says that your blood type is O+ and you're an organ donor—"

"I have three kidneys." Amanda added.

"What?"

"Yah, sorry, that came out of nowhere, but I do… I was born with three kidneys. I remember because I was proud of it…it made me different…special." She looked away self-consciously.

"Well, that's definitely fascinating!"

Subtly, so she wouldn't see, he leaned over to double check the readings from one of her bio-scans to make sure she wasn't delusional and sure enough, she did in fact have three.

Next, they looked at her cell phone. It was small and black.

"HP Veer Palm Phone. This doesn't come out till 2011. The date on the screen says February 20, 2012. Let's see, that means that you came here from 2012, which also means that you time traveled because I found you in 2005."

Amanda quickly did the math in her head.

"So I'm a 22 year old time traveler. At least I know I'm interesting!" They both laughed at this.

"What do you think?" he asked. "Should we check out the contact list?"

"NO! I mean no, not yet. I just want to get myself sorted out first."

"Okay. Oh, look what we have here. You must be an artist." He lifted up a black, hard-cover sketch book and a tin of colored pencils for her to see.

"But am I any good?"

"Mind if I look?"

He opened it before she could answer making her chuckle.

"Sure, help yourself."

As he looked through the sketches, occasionally making noises of approval, she decided that now would be a good time to ask questions of her own.

"Doctor?" she asked hesitantly.

"Hhmm?" he grunted back.

"You're an alien right?" She figured he was but she wanted to make sure.

"Yes. Are you okay with that?" he asked nonchalantly as he turned the page.

"Absolutely!"

"Good."

They smiled at each other and then he went back to looking at the sketches. They really were quite good.

"So, what species are you? What planet are you from?"

"I really like the detail on this one. It just leaps off the page." He held up the picture he was looking at for her to see.

"Was that supposed to be your way of avoiding the question Doctor? Sorry, I'm not being sarcastic, I honestly can't tell."

He didn't answer her so she took the lack of response as a resounding affirmative and tried to move on.

"Right, so….. We're in your spaceship….."

The Doctor immediately perked up. He loved his ship.

"Yes! The TARDIS, _my_TARDIS! That's T.A.R.D.I.S., it stands for—." Amanda cut him off.

"Time And Relative Dimension In Space."

There was an awkward pause as he stared at her, un-blinking for what seemed like, forever.

"How the _hell_did you know _that?"_he demanded, his face becoming serious once more.

They continued to stare at each other. This made Amanda very nervous. She may not know much about who she is, but one thing was for sure, too much eye contact made her queasy. She felt sick to her stomach. His eyes burned into her and she was sure that if she didn't look away soon, she was going to have another panic attack. She didn't understand this feeling.

'_Why would something as simple as eye-contact with another person make me feel so uncomfortable?_'

But, as much as she wanted to take her eyes from his, she just couldn't bring herself to do it. Amanda quickly racked her brain to try and find the answer to his question. '_Why did I say that? Where did it come from? Oh, me and my stupid mouth!_' Finally, she was able to force herself to close her eyes so she could concentrate. When she opened her eyes again, she gasped. He was still staring at her with that hard look and it made her stutter.

"I-I don't—I don't know. I swear! It just sort of popped into my head, like—like I knew it was right."

The Doctor saw that she was telling the truth and that she was genuinely confused. Well, so was he. This girl was a compelling mystery. She knew things that she simply couldn't know. How could he resist?

"Look, uummm….." he scratched his head while looking around the room, nonchalantly. "Don't suppose you'd like to stay a while would you? You could travel with me…..see the stars, meet new people….If you want, at least till you get yourself sorted."

She gave him a look of disbelief and his hope dropped a little. Then very seriously, as if she were offended, she said—

"You're seriously offering me a place to stay while I try to get my memories back with the chance to see the whole of the universe in all of time and space?" She scoffed. "As if you'd even have to ask!"

He watched as her frown lifted to form her very own cheeky grin and his face lit up to mirror hers.

"FANTASTIC!"

They both laughed in excitement. Suddenly, the Doctor jumped to his feet, grabbed her hand and yanked her up to hers as well.

"Come with me! I want to introduce you to the TARDIS!"

And with that, he dropped her hand and ran out the door. Amanda hadn't noticed that when the Doctor had yanked her to her feet, the blankets from the bed she had been lying in had crumpled to the floor and twisted around her ankles. So, when she started to chase after him, she promptly lost her balance with a yelp and fell on her face. She couldn't help but laugh at herself. Right on cue, the Doctor popped his head back around the doorway to see her on the ground, laughing.

"Well? Come on then! Stop mucking about."

She rolled her eyes and shook her head as she stood up. Popping her hips to one side and placing her hands on them, she tried to give him a stern look but failed when the corners of her mouth twitched upwards. She was clearly trying very hard not to smile. The Doctor sent her a teasing grin and whipped his head back into the hallway. She could only laugh as she chased after him towards the main console room. When she caught up to him and entered into the room, she stopped laughing and gasped. The Doctor ran up to the controls and turned around to lean against them with his arms crossed as he watched her look around in awe. He of course had a big smile on his face when he asked her—

"Ssooooo? What do you think?"

She was so compelled with the room that she didn't even look at him when she whispered,

"It's beautiful." She had a soft smile on her face that matched her voice.

"She." he tossed out.

Her eyes snapped up to him, confused. He looked like a child again, excited to share a big secret.

"What?"

"Not 'it'. She's a 'she'. TARDISes are grown not built. She's a sentient being."

He looked so proud as he stroked the console, lovingly.

"So, you mean _she_ has conscious thoughts? She's actually alive?"

"Basically…yeah."

Amanda looked around shocked and then chuckled, feeling giddy.

"Oh that—that is just….HA! That is too cool!" She jumped around excitedly and the Doctor laughed with her. "Well then…" She cleared her throat and looked around. "Hello there! It's very nice to meet you!"

She wrapped her hand lightly around the railing. When the TARDIS hummed back enthusiastically, Amanda jumped around excitedly again like a kid at Christmas. The Doctor was loving her reaction. Amanda then grabbed both of his hands.

"She answered back! She really answered back! I think she likes me."

"Of course she does. She loves meeting new people and I'd say this is the best reaction she's had in a while."

Amanda dropped his hands and threw both her arms around him in a tight hug but just as quickly, she ripped her arms away and blushed.

"Sorry! I don't know why I did that…it's just…this is all so amazing."

She looked at his face expecting to find it looking shocked at the awkward moment but instead he was smiling. Oh, he was shocked all right, but he wasn't going to let her know that.

"It's all right! I'll take a hug from anyone!"

"Even Jack the Ripper?" she asked teasingly.

"Oh hush." He sent her a mock frown. "I've met him by the way, before he went all…well, anyways….he was a good man back then." He sighed. "I was so disappointed."

Amanda looked at him in shock, but then quickly turned around when she felt a slight stinging sensation in her eyes. She brought her hand up inconspicuously to wipe away the tear that was trying to escape. She then pulled her hand away and stared at the water on her fingertips. '_Oh no! Not now!_' She let out a sigh. She could hear the Doctor moving around the console behind her so she turned around to watch him. She knew she needed to find a place soon that was private so she could curl up into a ball and cry. All of the emotions and shock from the recent experiences was finally starting to catch up to her and she couldn't allow the Doctor to see her flip-out.

The Doctor poked his head around from the other side of the console to look at her excitedly. He hadn't noticed the look on her face. He was too busy flipping switches, getting ready to set the coordinates to their first destination. '_Off to start another adventure!_'

"So, where to first? Your choice! We've got all of time and space to pick from!"

"Actually….." she started hesitantly. His face fell slightly at the sound of her voice. "Remember earlier, in the sick-bay, I promised that later I would have a proper freak-out? Well, I think it's starting to catch up to me. Is there a place where I can—?"

"Yes, right! Sorry, you should be resting. Your brain's probably overstimulated by now."

He looked a little deflated. Amanda couldn't stand to see him that way so she tried to reassure him.

"Oh, don't get me wrong Doctor! I just need like 12 hours to have a fit and sleep it off, then I'll be bursting with excitement again. It'll be awesome! You and me, off on an epic adventure! Just 12 hours, I promise."

He gave her a smile for her effort. He knew what she was trying to do and he did appreciate it. He had forgotten for a moment how fragile humans can be and she definitely deserved a moment to herself after everything that's happened.

"Follow me, I'll show you to your room." He led her down the hallway to another corridor that was lined with several doors. They walked in comfortable silence until they reached the 9th door on the right. "Sorry it's a bit plain at the moment. Just wait till you wake up again, the TARDIS will have redecorated it to suit your needs. She can get inside your head and based off the information she gathers from your subconscious, she can perform all sorts of basic tasks." he told her. "She can even translate languages for you…zaps them right into your brain!" he added excitedly.

"Nifty! That will definitely be convenient later…other planets and all!"

He beamed at her and she returned the smile, though he could still see the sadness just behind her eyes, waiting to be let loose as soon as the door was closed.

"Thank you." she said softly while staring up at his face.

"Oh, no need f—" he tried to play it off as nothing but she wouldn't let him.

"No, really….thank you…for everything, not just the room. We're complete strangers and you've been nothing but kind. You saved my life today, Doctor." He turned away a little uncomfortable with the compliment. "Hey! You and me…we're going to be the best of friends! Got it?" She poked him hard in the chest to make her comment stick. This made him smile brightly again.

"All right, all right. Off to bed with you then! Twelve hours." He pointed to her open door.

"Twelve hours." she promised and closed the door.

Amanda didn't even take notice of the room. The walls could have been collapsing around her. She walked straight over to the baseboard of the bed and slid down the wood until she hit the floor. She started to gasp and shake as she cried into her knees that had been tucked under her chin. She stayed that way, rocking back and forth until she cried herself to sleep.

She never knew that the Doctor had stood outside her door for a moment after she had closed it. He could hear her crying and it tugged at his hearts just a bit.

"I'm so sorry." he whispered to the door. He walked back to the console room to tinker about while he waited for her.

******TARDIS/Amanda's room/Two months later, sort of…it's hard to tell time when you travel through it******

Amanda was in her room aboard the TARDIS putting the finishing touches on her latest painting. As it turns out, she really was an artist after all and if she wasn't reading in the ship's ridiculously well-stocked library, she would spend her down time in her bedroom turned studio trying to be creative. Besides, with all of the things she's seen, courtesy of her amazing friend The Doctor, she was always brimming with inspiration. Said friend was currently in the console room watching the monitors and occasionally adjusting different dials while he was simultaneously fabricating a small bomb. As he was connecting the last three wires, one of the monitor's sensors dinged. He looked up and smiled.

"Ah-Ha! Gotcha!" he shouted in excitement. He ran around to the console's intercom to call Amanda.

The two of them had been tracking an alien known as The Nestene Consciousness for two days now. The Nestene is a being of pure psychic energy that could take physical form by inhabiting plastic. It uses this ability to create drones to suit its purposes, namely taking over the world. Recently it decided to make Earth, which is chock-full of plasticy-goodness, into one of its food stock planets. So naturally, the two of them had to step in for the safety of the human race.

If she stopped to think about it, they really did end up having to save the Earth quite often. She chuckled to herself. '_Silly humans, always getting into trouble if they aren't causing it themselves._' She gripped her bottom lip between her teeth as she concentrated on getting the last few strokes of the brush perfect. '_Just…one…more…_'

"YES! Perfection achieved!" She sat back and sighed in satisfaction at having finally finished it. "Two weeks of in-between time well spent!"

She jumped and immediately felt embarrassed for having done so when she heard the Doctor's excited voice coming from the intercom on her wall.

"_**Amanda! We've found it!"**_

She ran over to the intercom and pressed the button to reply, just as excited.

"Really? Where was it hiding?"

"_**All right, well I haven't actually found The Consciousness yet, but we do have the location of one of its transmitters! It's on the roof of a shop in**__**downtown**__**London."**_

Amanda sighed in exasperation and pressed the button again

"Of course it is. The whole of the UK seems to be a Mecca for alien shenanigans. Honestly…do they not realize that there's an entire flippin planet out there? Give the country a break!"

He chuckled at her comment while the TARDIS was using the tracking signal to lock onto a landing site near the shop.

"_**Come on, I've finished the bomb! We've got a transmitter to blow up!"**_

The Doctor started running over to the front door to wait for her but stopped when she called him back.

"WAIT! I need you to come to my room really quick before we go! It's important!

He sighed in exasperation.

"_**Can't it wait? We're kind of in a hurry here!"**_

'_Oh please!_' she scoffed in her head.

"Don't you give me that! We live in a bloody time machine and it will only take a second!"

Oh well, she did have a point. The Doctor set the little red bomb down on the jump seat and ran down the hall to her room. When he got there he had to force himself not to laugh.

"Why are you covered in silver glitter?" he asked her with one eyebrow raised.

She rolled her eyes and put her hands on her hips looking frustrated.

"The container and I had a little disagreement. I accidentally bumped it's shelf with my head and it retaliated by jumping off and attacking me. I think it's mostly in my hair but it seems to have found its way down the front of me as well which sucks because I wasn't done wearing this shirt yet."

She looked down at her clothes. She was wearing a pair of dark blue-jeans, bright red flats, and a white T-shirt. It had a diagram on it with a picture of a half filled glass of water. There were arrows that labeled the top of the glass as 'half air' and the lower part of the glass as 'half water'. The bottom of the shirt said 'Technically the glass is always full'. It was one of her favorites and it was now, sadly, covered in the stupid glitter particles. She frowned at her shirt.

"Is this really what was so important?" he asked while still trying not to laugh. She looked like grumpy child.

"What? No!" she snapped. She stepped aside with a big grin now on her face to show him her painting. "I finally finished it!"

"Couldn't you have just shown it to me when we got back?" he asked impatiently.

"No! Now stop fussing and really look at it!" she pouted.

He did as she asked and his look of annoyance turned into a soft smile. The painting was truly beautiful. It was a portrayal of a bit of landscaping on a planet they visited a few weeks ago called 'Argentum-Dentes'. In Latin, the name translates into 'Silver-Teeth'. The planet was named as such because it was made up mostly of Silver and Calcium. The whole planet looked like a winter wonderland but it was actually just a trick of the elements that coated its surface. It was one of their rare trips that went undisturbed by any unfortunate circumstances. She had framed the painting with a foe-silver frame that she gave a slight scrubbing with black paint and steal-wool.

"Could you please sonic it to the outside of my door while I change my top?" she asked as she stepped behind a curtain to change anyways before he could answer.

He figured he might as well comply without complaint seeing as she did have to change her shirt anyways. But he did have to ask,—

"What's wrong with the painting you have up now?"

He removed the first one which was a painting she made of their first trip together. She had wanted to see 'The Eye of God' up close. It was a beautiful helix nebula, so named because it resembled a giant eye of swirling colors.

"There's nothing wrong with it, I just want to change it out for the new one. I planned on doing this with every new 'major' painting because it takes me so long to finish them, they deserve to be put on display and what better way to keep track of all the fun we have than to use them to label my bedroom door." she called out from behind the curtain.

He stuck the new one to the door and looked back down at the old one.

"What are you going to do to the other one?" he called back to her.

She poked her head out from the curtain to look at it.

"I figured I'd just hang it up in here somewhere." She pulled her head back.

"Can I have it?" he asked her hopefully.

He could hear her laughing.

"What do you want to do, put it up on the refrigerator? Isn't that a bit too '_domestic_'?" she asked cheekily.

"Oh ha, ha." He responded sarcastically. "No, I was thinking that it would look nice in the library. Are you almost done?"

"Yah, sorry, out in a tick." She laughed. "Go for it! You have officially been given ownership of the depiction of our first adventure! Put it where ever you like."

He smiled at her joking comment and placed it by her door to grab when they got back. He walked over to her bed and plopped down on it. While he waited for her to finish up, another painting caught his eye. It was stacked with several other paintings of random images behind a partially closed curtain. It was a portrait of a woman with auburn hair like Amanda's but she was older and wore glasses. The woman was sitting next to a sowing table, working on a quilt with a soft smile on her face. She was clearly happy and content with her project.

"Who is she?" he asked her when she walked up behind him, though he thought he already knew the answer.

"I think it's my mother." she said thoughtfully. "I dream about her sometimes. I wake up so excited thinking that my memories are finally coming back but then the images slip away like I'm grasping for ghosts. It's a little depressing but how can I miss someone that I can't even properly remember."

The Doctor noticed that she was starting to look a little forlorn; her eyes were glazing over in thought.

"She's your mother. You're allowed to miss her whether you remember her or not." he assured her. "Is that what these other paintings back there are? The memories that return to you in your dreams?"

"Just more ghosts." She closed the curtain. "Now, enough of this silliness!" She grabbed his hand. "We have our own shenanigans to get into, let's show The Nestene whose boss!" She grinned as she pulled them both out into the hallway and towards the front door. "Off to Henrik's Department Store!"

The Doctor suddenly stopped, causing Amanda to stop as well. She turned back and saw a strange look on his face.

"What?" she asked him.

"You did it again. It's been a while since you did it last time, but you just named something you shouldn't know without me telling you what it is first."

"What?" She was really confused now.

"What's the name of the store we're going to?" he asked her.

"Henrik's Department— oh…" A look of pain crossed her face and she looked back at the Doctor. "I-I don't know where that came from."

The Doctor could see the sadness and desperation in her eyes. But the fact of the matter was, he needed to focus on where these things were coming from, he couldn't help but feel sorry for her.

"Hey, enough of that" He grabbed her hand again and started to pull them to the front door. "We can worry about it another time." he reassured her.

As they ran through the console room he snatched the bomb from the seat and locked the doors behind them. They both ran down the street towards the alleyway that led to the back door of the store. In the excitement, the Doctor was remembering the last time she had pulled the name of an object from seemingly nowhere.

******Memory-Lane******

It was approximately two months ago, just after her twelve hours of solitude. Amanda came strolling into the console room looking refreshed and ready for adventure.

"There we go, twelve hours as promised!" she called down to him. He was under the floor grating fiddling with a broken cuplink.

He pulled his screwdriver out of his mouth and smiled back at her as he put the floor grating back in place. Since he already had the thing out, he thought he'd use it to do a quick scan of her to double check that she was ok.

"Hold on just a sec, I need to scan you really quick with my—"

But before he could finish telling her, she had quickly snatched the device from his hand and shouted with pure joy.

"A sonic-screwdriver!"

When she realized what she had done, she looked startled and shoved it back into his hands as if it had burned her.

"I'm sorry! That was rude. I don't know why I did that." she apologized quickly.

The Doctor was shocked.

"How did you know that?" he asked her urgently. '_It was just like how she knew what T.A.R.D.I.S. stood for._'

She looked disoriented.

"I don't know. I….. I just…. When I saw it…it's hard to explain, It's like this wave of recognition hit me in the back of my head and I just knew…..I've never seen one before, but I have. It's like deja vu. I honestly don't know where this is coming from."

The Doctor couldn't help but take pity on her. He moved on with a reminder to himself to explore it more thoroughly later.

"Oh well, never mind! Where to first? Your choice, just like I promised!" he asked her as he jumped towards the controls.

She stared at him hesitantly but when she saw that his grin was sincere, she followed him happily.

"Actually, I did give it some thought. Can we go to a nebula called 'The Eye of God'? I've always wanted to see it up close!"

His grin brightened as he put in the coordinates.

"Hold on tight!"

She quickly gripped the railing and they both started to laugh as they were shaken about.

******Back to the Present******

The Doctor was pulled out of his musings when they reached the door. He pulled out a scanner to double check that they were in the right place. It beeped in different intervals as he swiped it around in every direction.

"Okay, we're definitely in the right place. The signal from the transmitter is coming from the roof, but I'm also picking up something from below."

He whipped out his sonic-screwdriver and pointed it at the lock. The lock sparked a bit and clicked open.

"Gosh I love that sound!" Amanda smiled lovingly.

"What, a lock breaking?"

Amanda rolled her eyes.

"No, you dork! The sonic, I like the wooring noise. It's soothing."

"Oi, there's no need for name calling." He jokingly scoffed and she stuck out her tongue. "So, what do you say? We'll do a quick sweep of the basement to double check and then it's up to the roof for the 'big bang'."

"Sounds like a good plan to me! In and out, nice and clean." She smiled as they both ran down the stairs and of course, he easily took the lead. "No fair, cheater! You're legs are longer!"

He laughed and sped up a bit just to tease her. '_Darn him!_'

When they reached the basement, they heard a female voice sound over the store's intercom.

"_**A**__**customer announcement:**__**the**__**store **__**will**__**be**__**closing in five minutes. Thank you."**_

"Well that's convenient." Amanda said with relief. "Saves us the trouble of having to get everyone out ourselves."

They looked at each other with determination, ready to start their sweep through corridors and storage units. The first few doors they tried gave them ziltch. As far as they could tell, there wasn't anything unusual happening down there.

"The scanner is still saying that there's something here, so it's got to be around somewhere." The Doctor said and then gave the device a good whack to help it along.

Not two seconds later, they heard a crashing sound coming from around the corner.

"That's more like it!" chirped Amanda, and they quickly ran around the corner.

When they were in the next hallway, there was nothing there. This was confusing because they both knew that this was definitely where the crash had come from. They split up slightly to better search the area and hopefully find a clue. There was a small cluster of metal bins nearby and Amanda thinking they would be a good place to start, walked over and pushed one out of the way.

"HOLEY SHhhUGAR!" She yelped in surprise and turned away clutching her heart.

The Doctor quickly ran over to her.

"What? What is it?"

She looked up at him a little nauseous and shook it off.

"Sorry. I wasn't expecting that." She pointed to the space behind the bins. "Dead body."

The Doctor moved the first bin farther out of the way and bent down next to the body to examine it, doing a quick scan with the sonic.

"Male, late thirties to early forties, wearing a uniform so he must be an employee, his tag says he's the chief electrician." he spouted off.

"Doctor, are those scorch marks on his chest?" She asked as she bent down to get a better look for herself. She had to try and ignore the look of horror that was frozen on the poor man's face.

"Looks like it, yes"

"Well….crap!" She looked over to see a frown on the Doctor's face that mirrored her own. "Where the hell did the Consciousness get lasers from?"

"I don't know, but I think we should get back to the stairs and head to the roof. Clearly that relay emitter is already active. We need to hurry and get the explosive attached and destroy it before anyone else gets hurt."

They both stood up and the Doctor grabbed onto her hand.

"Wait, Doctor, that thing on the roof is only a secondary transmitter right? It's only got to be big enough to send out a signal to cover, what, half of London? I wouldn't be surprised if there were a few more scattered about the city as well; localized because they'd only need to take control of a small work-force to start with. But, if the Nesteen is trying to take over the whole planet, they're going to need something with a bit more oomph. Before we blow it up, would we be able to use the transmitter's signal to track down its source?"

The Doctor stared at her for a moment, then grabbed both sides of her face and kissed her forehead making her chuckle.

"Fantastic, you are!" He grinned at her.

"Thanks!" She grinned back.

"If I use the sonic to record and lock onto the signals frequency, we can use it to track down a plastic drone that's still connected and link it up to the TARDIS's scanners which will lead us straight to the Nesteen's layer!"

With that said, they started to run down the hall, back the way they came.

"But Doctor," she asked as they ran. "Why a drone?"

"Because we still have to set off the bomb. We can't let that thing continue its transmissions to create more soldiers. With the relay emitter out of commission, an active drone will be the only option left." He explained as he continued to pull her along.

"Right, got it, brilliant!" She smiled in determination.

They ran as fast as they could back towards the stairs so they could move on with their plan as quickly as possible, but when they got there, Amanda stopped again.

"Oh crap!" she huffed in frustration.

"What now?" He asked in exasperation.

She rolled her eyes, sighed audibly, and snapped out—

"Listen."

He strained his ears for a second and then he heard it. Off in the distance, coming from the main storage room, he could hear the frightened voice of a young woman yelling at someone.

"And we were making such good time." He groaned.

"Humans!" she scoffed. "We can be so inconvenient sometimes. Well, come on, we can't leave her to fend for herself. Time to play hero!"

They started running again and as they turned into the hallway that led to the room, Amanda spotted an elevator off to the side. '_Oh perfect!_' Now that they were closer, they could hear the girl more clearly.

"Whose idea was this, was it Derek's. Derek, is that you?" the unknown girl called out.

You could tell by the way her voice shook that she was nervous.

"Shit….Doctor! You get the girl, I'll hold the elevator! Hurry!" Amanda shouted as she doubled back and the Doctor continued on.

When she got back to the elevator, she quickly jabbed at the button. Luckily, the girl must have just come down, because it only took a few seconds for the doors to open and Amanda straddled the entrance to keep them that way, tapping her foot impatiently. A minute later, she could see the Doctor running her way with a pretty blond girl in a pink sweat-shirt. Several plastic, manikin-drones were in pursuit.

"Come on, come on, come on!" She shouted to them.

The two of them rushed into the elevator, followed by Amanda, and the Doctor pushed the button to close the doors. Just before the doors were fully closed, one of the manikins reached its arm through and grabbed onto Amanda's hair making her yelp in shock and pain. Quickly, the blond girl grabbed Amanda's hands to keep her from being pulled back out and the Doctor grabbed onto the manikin's arm. He gave it a few good yanks. Amanda bobbing about on the other end caused her to cry out in protest. The arm popped off, allowing the doors to finally close completely.

"You just pulled his arm off!" The blond girl shouted in shock.

"Well, to be fair, it did try to pull my hair out." Amanda winced.

"Yep! Catch!" The Doctor said, tossing the arm to the other girl. "Plastic, see!"

He turned Amanda around so he look could at the back of her head. He was relieved to see that there wasn't any blood, just a little redness which was to be expected. Turning her back around to face him, he placed his hands on her shoulders and asked her—

"Are you alright?"

She could hear the concern in his voice so she made eye contact to reassure him and gave him a soft smile.

"Yah, I'm alright, just a little sore. I can find something to put on my scalp when we're done here."

The Doctor pulled her in for a hug which she gladly accepted and the two of them chuckled in relief now that they had a moment to breathe.

"Very clever, nice trick! So what are they then, students? Is this a student thing or what?" the blond asked trying to reassure herself.

Realizing they weren't alone, Amanda quickly let go of the Doctor to let him do his thing. He crossed his arms nonchalantly and faced the doors as they all waited for the elevator to reach its destination and looked back over his shoulder at the other girl.

"Why would they be students?" he asked her.

"I don't know." She said, confused by the whole situation.

"Well you said it, so why students?" he threw back at her.

Amanda chuckled softly to herself as she watched them. '_That's the Doctor. Always pushing people to use their brains, to try and work things out for themselves….even if he was a bit snarky about it at times._'

"Well, cuz… to get that many people to dress up and bein' silly, they got to be students." she tried.

"That makes since, well done" he congratulated her with a smile and a very slight undertone of sarcasm that luckily only Amanda caught.

"Thanks!" she smiled back.

"They're not students." His face returned to being serious.

"Well, whoever they are, when Wilson finds them, he's going to call the police." she retorted.

Amanda rolled her eyes. '_Yes, cuz that's just what we need._' she thought sarcastically.

"Who's Wilson?" The Doctor asked, but he had a feeling he already knew.

"The chief electrician." she answered.

"Wilson's dead." Amanda butted in, and then looked back at the Doctor.

He gave her a soft smile and a nod to let her know that she could speak up and join the conversation if she wanted. He wasn't going to stop her. The elevator doors opened up just then and the two of them quickly exited into the hallway, the blond girl trailing behind them angrily.

"That's just not funny, that's sick!" she shouted at them.

The Doctor pulled out his sonic screwdriver to lock the elevator's controls and Amanda pushed the other girl out of the way.

"Hold on! Mind your eyes." she warned her.

The buttons sparked and popped making the girl jump in shock.

"Alright, I've had enough of this now!" she whined as the Doctor and Amanda walked passed her. "Who are you two then? Who's that lot down there?" she shouted after them.

The poor girl was getting frustrated with their lack of response, but they couldn't waste any more time. Now that they were out of the elevator, they had to hurry up and get her safely out of the building so they could get up to the roof.

"I SAID WHO ARE THEY?"

They were all getting annoyed now so Amanda huffed out the answer allowing the Doctor to concentrate on leading them to an exit.

"They're made of plastic! They're living plastic creatures that are being controlled by a relay device on the roof." she started.

"Which would be a great big problem.…" The Doctor took over the explanation, pulling out the bomb while Amanda continued forward to hold open the emergency exit. "…If we didn't have this!" He waved the explosive in her face to show her. "Now she and I are going to go blow it up and may well die in the process…." His voice was now dripping with sarcasm as he pushed her out the door. "….but don't worry about us, no, go, go on, go home and have your lovely beans on toast."

"And don't tell anyone about this or you'll get them killed." Amanda warned her.

They both gave her stern looks as the Doctor closed the door.

"I bet you five quid she's still standing there." Amanda tossed out.

The Doctor, sighed, rolled his eyes and opened the door again. Sure enough, there she was. Exasperated, he tried to urge her to move on.

"I'm the Doctor by the way and this is Amanda. What's your name?" he asked her.

But before the girl could answer him, Amanda did it for her.

"Rose!" Amanda shouted.

There was a hint of panic in Amanda's face for a split second that only the Doctor caught.

"How—how did—?" Rose started to ask, but the Doctor interrupted.

"Oh, don't worry, she does that. Now, Rose, lovely to meet you. Run for your life!"

That said, the Doctor slammed the door shut again and Rose, taking the hint, ran off in confusion not even realizing that she was still holding the plastic arm. With that finished, the Doctor and Amanda gave each other a knowing nod, agreeing to ignore what just happened for now. They had a relay emitter to blow up.

They ran as fast as they could, down the corridor and up the stairs, straight to the roof. When they burst through the access door, they easily spotted the relay device. The Doctor ran over to attach the explosive, setting the timer as he did so. While he was scanning it with the sonic to get a lock on the emission signal, Amanda took a moment to glance around the rooftop. She spotted a fire-escape and when the Doctor was done, she grabbed onto his hand and pulled him in that direction.

"Let's get the hell out of here!" she yelled.

The two of them raced down the set-up of stairs and ladders, just barely making it down into the back alleyway when the bomb went off with a ground-shaking BOOOM. The Doctor quickly covered Amanda's head as bits of debris rained down on them, and then they both booked it back to the TARDIS. Once they were both aboard the ship, they started laughing in relief.

The Doctor walked over to Amanda and grasped onto her shoulders like he had done before in the elevator and looked her over.

"You okay then?" he asked her.

She rolled her eyes and chuckled.

"Yah, I'm fine. What about you?" she asked, giving him an onceover.

"You know me!" He reassured her with a cheeky grin. "Now, go get yourself an ice-pack for your head and get off to bed to rest. We'll start the scanner in the morning and continue on the search from there."

She tried to protest, but he wouldn't have it.

"Go on, shoo!" He said as he pushed her towards the hallway.

She huffed in mock annoyance and rolled her eyes, but did as he said.

*******The Next Morning*******

Amanda was sitting in the kitchen, drinking a cup of English Breakfast tea (a dash of milk and two sugars, just the way she liked it) when the Doctor rushed in all excited as he told her—

"We've got one! The signal's not very strong, but if we hurry, I think we can still track it down!"

He quickly rushed back to the console, leaving Amanda to gulp down the rest of her tea and shove a piece of toast in her mouth before running after him. She nearly tripped as she tried to concentrate on running in a straight line, eating, and putting her hair up at the same time. That morning she had decided to wear a pair of tarnished silver flats, her typical dark blue-jeans, black V-neck top with elbow-length sleeves and a silver choker. She loved wearing flats. They were like being bare-foot (which she also loved) and easy to run around in (which they did _a lot_ of).

When she caught up to him, he was already jumping around the controls, trying to bring them closer to where the drone-signal was coming from.

"Pull that lever, there, and hold down that button!" he called out to her.

She quickly rushed into position, doing as he said and laughing while trying to catch her breath. He grinned in excitement.

"Here we go!"

He flicked the last switch and the TARDIS started to shake about as they took off.

"Woo-Hoo!" she shouted. "This'll definitely wake you up in the morning! Who needs coffee?" She laughed.

The ship re-materialized on a street corner near a park, situated in the middle of several different apartment complexes. They walked up to the buildings and with a strong sense of determination; they started to skirt around each one, checking under cars, behind fences and in nearly every trash bin.

'_Sneaky little bugger!_' thought Amanda as she checked an alcove that housed an industrial air-conditioning unit for the 'Powel Estates'.

"Amanda! Over here!" The Doctor called out to her, half way up a stairwell. "The sonic says that the signal's coming from over here and it's moving!"

She ran over to the stairs and chased after him, catching up to him when he stopped outside of one of the apartments.

"So, it's somewhere around here then?" she asked him.

Instead of answering her, he got down on his hands and knees and used the sonic screwdriver to fiddle with the cat-flap.

'_Oh crap! It didn't go through there did it?_' she wondered.

Not a minute later, they heard muffled noises from the other side and something tapped the cat-flap open slightly, almost timidly. Then, it opened fully, but Amanda couldn't see what was on the other side. Whatever it was, it gasped and made The Doctor look back up at Amanda in confusion. He jumped up as the door suddenly opened wide to reveal Rose standing there with an expression that was just as equally confused.

"What are you doing here?" Amanda asked in shock.

"I live here!" Rose retorted.

"Well what'd you do that for?" The Doctor asked making Amanda roll her eyes.

"Because I do." she responded with an attitude. "And I'm only home because someone blew-up my job!" She snapped.

The Doctor ignored her and looked down at his screwdriver, adjusting the settings and re-reading the results.

"Hhmmm, must have picked up the wrong signal." he murmured to Amanda and turned back to Rose. "You're not plastic are you?" He knocked his fist against Rose's forehead. "Nope! Bone-head! Bye then!" He smiled to Amanda and gestured for her to walk away.

"You. Inside. Right now." said Rose as she grabbed his jacket sleeve and pulled him inside.

The Doctor quickly grabbed Amanda's hand with a face that said 'If I have to, so do you' and pulled her in too, making her yelp in surprise.

"Who is it?" called the voice of an older woman from somewhere inside.

Rose walked off a bit to peak her head around an open doorway to reply to whoever it was.

"It's about last night, part of the inquiry, give us…ten minutes." she said before she walked farther into the apartment.

"She deserves compensation!" the woman called out to them.

"Oh, we're talking millions!" The Doctor said in mock agreement.

He paused just outside of the doorway. Looking in, he saw a woman in a pink, silk dressing-gown (that's a robe for my American friends) that he assumed to be Rose's mother.

"Ah-humm." The woman cleared her throat and stood up. "I'm in my dressing-gown." she said in an attempt at a sultry voice.

"Yes, you are." said the Doctor in a nonchalant way and ignored her.

The woman didn't notice his indifference and continued on anyway.

"There's a strange man in my bedroom…." she tried.

He heard Amanda trying to cover up her snickering behind him as he caught on to what the woman was trying to suggest.

"Yes, there is." He replied playfully, smiling to himself when he heard Amanda's snickering turn into poorly muffled chuckles.

'That poor woman.' Amanda thought guiltily.

"Well, anything could happen…." the woman suggested.

The Doctor paused for a second as if he were considering.

"Aahh, no!" He said, shaking his head as he walked quickly away. The woman gave him a nasty look.

Amanda trailed after him, trying to hold in her laughter so as not to offend the other woman. When she caught up to him, she thwacked him on the arm lightly and gave him a stern look before she passed him into the living room. The Doctor followed after her with a bright, cheeky grin and joined her as she snooped around the room. Rose was already there, trying to spruce it up a bit (straightening magazines and such) because she hadn't expected company that day. As she passed them both on her way to the kitchen, she tried to be somewhat hospitable so they would answer her questions.

"Don't mind the mess. Do either of you want a coffee? She asked them.

"Oh! Yes thanks!" Amanda replied to her retreating form, then as an afterthought called out—"Dash of milk and two sugars please!"—and then walked over to examine the contents of the coffee table.

"Might as well thanks, just milk." added the Doctor.

Amanda picked up a magazine and flipped through it, stopping on a picture of one of the latest celebrity couples and chuckled to herself.

"We should go to the police! Seriously!" Rose called out to them as she was fixing their coffees.

Amanda ignored her and instead, commented on the picture.

"That won't last, cuz he's gay…" She smirked.

"And she's an alien." The Doctor said, looking over her shoulder, making her giggle.

"I'm not blaming you two…..even if it was a joke that just went wrong…." Rose continued, off-handedly, not realizing they weren't really paying attention to her.

The Doctor flipped through a random novel, reading it in two seconds and set it back dawn saying in a bored tone, "Huh, sad ending."

Amanda thwacked him playfully on the arm again.

"Jerk! I planned on reading that. What's the point now?" she joked. She picked up a piece of mail and read the name on the envelope out loud. "Rose Tyler. So that really _is_ her name….weird."

"It said on the news that they found a body." said Rose to what might as well have been no one.

The Doctor spotted a small mirror on the wall and glanced at his reflection.

"Could have been worse, look at the ears…" he commented as he fiddled with them.

"I think they're cute! You look just fine to me." Amanda said to the reflection of his face, then blushed slightly and looked away once she realized what she'd said. This made the Doctor grin.

"They say he was nice, he was a nice bloke." Rose was completely oblivious to what the two strangers were doing in the other room.

The Doctor walked over to where Amanda was standing and picked up a deck of cards to play with them by shuffling them in a fancy way.

"Luck be a lady." he said in a sing-song voice. When he attempted to repeat the action, the cards didn't cooperate. Instead they flew in all directions making Amanda laugh. "Maybe not." He smiled at her. Meanwhile Rose continued talking.

"Anyway, if we are going to the police, I want to know what I'm saying. I want you to explain everything." Rose demanded.

Amanda stopped laughing when she heard a scuttling noise come in from the main hallway.

"What's that then?" asked Amanda, confused.

"Have you got a cat?" tried the Doctor, leaning over a chair that the sound seemed to have been heading to.

Suddenly, the plastic arm from the night before jumped up and attacked the Doctor by grabbing his throat and choking him.

"Shit!" snapped Amanda in panic.

Quickly, she jumped towards him to try and yank the thing off, but wasn't having much luck. The blasted thing had a really strong grip. Rose, still oblivious to the situation, answered his question disinterestedly.

"No. Did have, but these strays, they just come in off the estate." She sighed as she brought them their drinks and saw them wrestling with the plastic arm like it was choking him. "I told Mickey to chuck that out. Honestly, give a man a plastic hand…though I'm surprised you're playing along too, Amanda, was it?" She joked. "Anyway…and I don't even know _your_ name." She indicated to the Doctor. "Doctor 'what' was it?" she asked.

Amanda was finally able to yank the arm off which unfortunately caused it to fly across the room and latch onto Rose's face instead, making the poor girl slam into the wall behind her. Quickly, The Doctor leapt to the rescue. Amanda tried to get out of their way but she wasn't fast enough. In the struggle to remove the arm, they accidently bumped into her hard, making her fall over onto the glass coffee table, completely shattering it and cutting her arm.

"SON OF A…!" she cried out in pain, not even bothering to finish the phrase. Instead she made a sort of hissing sound by sucking air in through her teeth.

Surprisingly, Rose's mother heard none of the chaos, apparently having conveniently turned on her blow drier, completely blocking all the noise.

Finally, the Doctor managed to get out his sonic screwdriver. This he used against the thing by canceling out the signal, effectively removing and stopping it.

"There you go!" he said triumphantly. "I've stopped it!" He tossed it back to Rose. "You see? Armless!" He chuckled at his own joke.

"You think?" said Rose sarcastically and then wacked him with it.

"Owe!" cried the Doctor, all in good fun.

Amanda laughed as well despite the pain she was in. The Doctor, seeing the blood, immediately knelt down next to her to examine the cut.

"You okay? How badly does it hurt?" he asked her with a concerned frown.

"Meh. I'll be fine." she answered, trying to be dismissive so he wouldn't worry. "Nice one by the way. 'Arm'-less." she continued to chuckle.

"Well, I know how much you like puns." He smiled softly at her. He was still a bit concerned despite her trying to brush it off.

"They are my favorite form of humor!"

She gave him a cheeky grin that turned into a wince when he used a bit of cloth and surgical tape to temporarily wrap her arm. He had retrieved them from what she called his 'insane' pockets. Seriously, you never knew what he was going to pull out of those things next.

"Promise I'll do a better job when we get back to the TARDIS and then we can hook up that arm to trace back the original signal." he reassured her.

When he was done, he jumped up and pulled Amanda up after him, being careful to use her uninjured arm. Keeping a hold of her hand, he used the other to snatch the plastic arm back from Rose and the two of them ran from the apartment. Not happy that her questions were still left unanswered, Rose trailed after them so as not to let them get away until she was satisfied.

"Hold on a minute! You two can't just go swannin' off!" she called after them as they were all running down the stairs.

"Sure we can. See? This is us, swanning off. See ya!" replied the Doctor.

"That arm was moving! It tried to kill me!" she shouted.

"Ten out of Ten for observation." said Amanda sarcastically.

"You can't just walk away! That's not fair! You've got to tell me what's going on!" Rose demanded.

Amanda rolled her eyes in annoyance. '_Since when is life ever fair?_'

"No we don't." The Doctor scoffed and tugged Amanda forward, trying to quicken their pace.

"All right, then. I'll go to the police. I'll tell everyone—and you said, if I did that, I'd get people killed. So, your choice- tell me, or I'll start talking." said Rose, smugly.

"Is that supposed to sound tough?" scoffed Amanda with one eyebrow raised.

"Sort of." replied Rose, hesitantly.

"Doesn't work." Amanda smirked.

"Who are you?" Rose asked, exasperated now.

"We told you—I'm Amanda and he's The Doctor."

Amanda rolled her eyes again. She had to admit, she _was_ impressed with the girl's determination, but they really didn't need this right now. After all, the survival of the human race was kind of at stake here.

"Yah, but—Amanda 'who' and Doctor 'what'?" she insisted.

"Doesn't matter." Amanda replied with a huff.

"Just—The Doctor." he added patiently.

"The Doctor?" she asked skeptically.

"Hello!" He smiled making Amanda chuckle as well.

"Is that supposed to sound impressive?" Rose asked sarcastically.

"Sort of." he responded, mocking her response from earlier.

"Come on, then, you can tell me." Said Rose almost flirtatiously as she quickened her pace till she was walking evenly with them. She linked her arm with the Doctor's that was holding the manikin arm. "I've seen enough." she tried.

Amanda didn't like this and frowned while unconsciously squeezed the Doctor's hand a little tighter. She was feeling almost territorial. He looked at her questionably for a second before faced forward again as they continued walking. Rose caught the look on Amanda's face and let go of his arm.

"Are you the police?" asked Rose suddenly, thinking maybe that's why they refused to answer any of her questions. Though, they didn't look like police, undercover maybe?

"No! We were just….." started the Doctor.

"Passing through." Amanda finished for him.

"We're a long way from home." he added with a slight chuckle.

"But what have I done wrong?" asked Rose. "How comes those plastic things keep coming after me?"

"Oh, suddenly, the entire world revolves around you." said the Doctor, sarcastically. '_HA!_' thought Amanda. "You were just an accident. You got in the way, that's all." he continued.

"It tried to kill me!" Rose scoffed.

"It was after us, not you." he retorted. "Last night, in the shop, we were there—"

"You blundered in, almost ruined the whole thing." snapped Amanda.

"This morning, we were tracking it down…It was tracking us down…." he explained. "The only reason it fixed on you is because you've met us."

"So what you're saying is, the entire world revolves around _you_." said Rose, teasingly.

"Sort of, yah." replied Amanda with a cheeky grin.

"You're full of it!" Rose practically laughed, disbelievingly.

"Sort of, yah." The Doctor replied with his own cheeky grin.

Amanda looked at the garages and storage units that meant they were getting closer to where they had parked the TARDIS. She was starting to get a bit anxious. All she wanted to do was hurry up so that they could track down the Nestene's layer so they could finally put a stop to this silly invasion attempt and go for a relaxing swim in the library's pool. Honestly, was that too much to ask? She sighed and The Doctor rubbed soothing circles on the back of her hand which seemed to calm her down a bit.

"But all this plastic stuff—who else knows about it?" questioned Rose.

"No one." answered Amanda.

"What, you're on your own?" she asked sounding almost as if she felt sorry for them.

Amanda gave her a soft smile.

"Well, who else is there?" asked the Doctor humorously. "I mean, you lot—all you do is eat chips, go to bed, and watch telly. When all the time, underneath you, there's a war going on."

"Hey." protested Rose as she took the plastic arm from his hand. Her voice softened with a serious look on her face. "Start from the beginning. I mean, if we're going to go with the living plastic—and I don't even believe that, but if we do—how did you kill it?" she asked.

Amanda brought herself back into the conversation.

"The thing controlling it projects life into the arm. He cut off the signal—dead." she explained.

"So that's radio control?" asked Rose. She was trying really hard to understand.

"Thought control" Amanda corrected and gave her an encouraging smile for her good effort. Noticing the 'holy-crap, I'm trying to grasp onto the concept, but this can't be real' look on the girl's face, she asked, "You all right?"

"Yah…" Her face scrunched up. "So who's controlling it, then?"

"Long story" sighed the Doctor.

"But, what's it all for? I mean, shop window dummies—what's that about? Is someone trying to take over Britain's shops?" she joked.

They all chuckled.

"No." said the Doctor, good-naturedly.

"I know." Rose sighed with a smile.

"It's not a price war." The Doctor added onto the joke making them chuckle a bit more. Then, he and Amanda became serious again. "They want to overthrow the human race and destroy you. Do you believe me?" he asked her.

"No." she replied, still smiling.

"But you're still listening." said Amanda with a slight smirk that wiped the smile from Rose's face.

"Really, though, Doctor. Tell me—who are you?" she asked. She was serious now.

He looked down at Amanda for a moment. She nodded her head as if to say 'go ahead'. He nodded back and squeezed her hand before he let go and walked back to Rose while she continued on towards the TARDIS that was just a few yards away. She couldn't really blame the girl for her curiosity. She chuckled softly to herself knowing that the Doctor was probably going to do or say something with a dramatic flair that will answer the girl's question yet leave her hanging at the same time. '_That's my Doctor._' She shook her head and sighed.

Meanwhile, the Doctor had turned back to Rose with a thoughtful smile.

"Do you know like we were saying, about the earth revolving?" He started to walk towards her. "It's like when you're a kid. The first time they tell you that the world's turning and you just can't quite believe it because everything looks like it's standing still." He looked her in the eye. "I can feel it…." He grabbed her hand. "…the turn of the earth." He looked off, thoughtful. "The ground beneath our feet is spinning at 1,000 miles an hour, and the entire planet is hurtling 'round the sun at 67,000 miles an hour, and I can feel it. We're falling through space, you, me, and Amanda, clinging to the skin of this, tiny, little world, and if we let go…." He dropped her hand. "…that's who I am."

"And her?" Rose gestured towards the direction Amanda had gone.

The Doctor smiled thoughtfully then grinned proudly.

"She's a mystery, even to me. I've known her for a little over two months now, just dropped out of nowhere. Amanda Winters….she's brilliant! Now forget us, Rose Tyler. Go home." He instructed her and waved the plastic arm at her for good measure. Then he turned and walked back to Amanda who was waiting for him just outside the TARDIS' doors.

The two of them walked inside and Amanda closed the doors behind them. When she turned around, the Doctor was already jumping about the console, hooking the plastic arm up to the TARDIS' scanners and preparing to chase down the signal. She ran up to help him by pressing, turning, or pulling whatever he asked of her. Suddenly, Amanda smelled something strange. She glanced around to find the source of the odor when she spotted the arm. It was starting to melt.

"OH NO! Doctor, quick!" She shouted to get his attention. "It's melting!"

He ran over and shouted in desperation.

"Oh, no, no, No, NO! We've barely even taped into the signal! No, NO!"

He rushed about, trying to get them as close as he could manage before the arm was completely melted; which sadly, wasn't very far at all. The Doctor leaned against the console and growled in frustration. Amanda sighed and walked up behind him, placing her hand on his shoulder, she tried to stay positive.

"It's okay Doctor. We're not giving up, Lord knows we're too stubborn for that. We'll just have to try again!"

He chuckled at her until he spotted her wrapped arm, then he became serious again and grabbed her hand.

"Let's get this properly looked at shall we?" he asked her.

He walked her back to the sick-bay and sat her down on one of the beds. He gathered the supplies he would need. It wasn't much, seeing as the cut really wasn't as bad as it looked and sat down in front of her.

"This might sting a bit." he warned her.

He cleaned off the dry blood and prodded around the edges to make sure there were no shards of glass still stuck inside making her wince slightly. Next, he wiped an anti-bacterial treatment on it to prevent infection.

"HOLEY SH-hhUGAR!" she shouted as she jerked away. "Not cool!" She frowned at him.

"Holey sugar?" he asked her with an eyebrow raised.

"What? Would you rather I cursed?" She mirrored his expression.

They stared at each other like that for a moment before they both started laughing. Finally, The Doctor ran the sonic screwdriver along the cut and the skin re-sealed itself and put the supplies away.

"So…..what do you say? I'll go and fix us some lunch while you get the TARDIS started on finding us another drone to track. Sound good?" she asked.

"Uugh. So domestic." he replied jokingly.

Amanda laughed at him and then they both went their separate ways.

*******30 Minutes Later/ TARDIS Console Room*******

The Doctor had just finished tweaking about with the scanners when he heard Amanda's voice over the intercom.

"_**Alright Doctor, soup's on…..literally!"**_

"Coming." he replied.

He walked back towards the kitchen, the smell of food reaching his nose as he got closer. He turned the corner, walked through the doorway, then stopped with a look of surprise. She wasn't kidding. She really did make soup. There on the table sat two plates with toasted, Swiss and roast beef sandwiches, crisps (that's chips for my fellow Americans), fruit, and two bowls of broccoli n' cheese soup.

"And yes, the banana is yours." she smiled at the look on his face. "The last few days and today have been so crazy, I figured we deserved something a little more substantial."

The Doctor smiled at her and gratefully dug in. Afterwards, when Amanda was about to do the dishes, an alarm went off signaling that they had a live one. Immediately, she dropped what she'd been doing and ran out to the main room to help the Doctor chase it down. They quickly took off, the TARDIS rematerializing in the back lot of a restaurant.

"Okay. This time, nothing gets in our way, no distractions. Let's make this one count!" said Amanda, determinedly.

The Doctor nodded in agreement and the two of them walked out with a sense of purpose. The Doctor used his sonic screwdriver to open the back door and they entered the restaurant. Amanda could tell right away that the place was semi-fancy with its small, intimate tables and tall lamps in-between each. Most of the furnishings were either metal or glass.

'_Well this definitely has the potential to get very messy if thing go south._' she thought. There were way too many people around for her liking. Suddenly, very softly, she felt The Doctor nudge her side to get her attention. She looked over to the table that he was motioning to.

"Oh you've got to be kidding me!" she wined.

Sitting there, completely oblivious, was Rose Tyler with what appeared to be the drone we were after. Sure, the manikin did look rather life like, but come on…how could you not tell something was off about him?

"Must be a copy of someone she knows." The Doctor answered her un-asked question. "Alright, hand me that bottle of Champagne and the towel." he commanded and she quickly did as he asked. "Now I'll go get him and I want you to be ready to get out of here in case this goes badly, okay?"

"You got it!" she said as she positioned herself just outside the entrance to the kitchens so she could still see him but at the same time, she was ready to book it out of there. She watched as he approached their table with the bottle, the towel draped over one arm and very politely offered,—

"Your Champagne!"

But the drone dismissed him, not even bothering to look up.

"We didn't order any Champagne." It was too focused on Rose. "Where's the Doctor?"

The Doctor moved around the table and tried again.

"Madam, your Champagne."

But not even Rose bothered to look up. Amanda rolled her eyes in annoyance.

"It's not ours." she replied distractedly waving him away. "Mickey, what is it? What's wrong?" she asked.

"I need to find out how much you know, so where is he?" the drone demanded.

"Doesn't anybody want this Champagne?" whined the Doctor.

Amanda chuckled a bit at the way he sounded at the moment. '_So adorable._' she thought.

Finally, the drone looked up in frustration.

"Look, we didn't order it." it said, but stopped when it realized it was the Doctor. "Ah, gotcha."

Of course _now_ Rose looks up and she's surprised at whom she sees.

"Don't mind me." smiled the Doctor as he shakes the bottle. "I'm just toasting the happy couple, on the house!"

He aimed the cork at the drone's head and pops it off, effectively shooting it in the face. Oddly enough though, instead of causing any damage, the cork seemed to just get swallowed by its plastic forehead and then he spit it out of his mouth.

'_Neat!_' Amanda screamed excitedly inside her head.

"Anyway…." said the drone, un-impressed as it turned its hand into some sort of hammer, spatula type thing and smashed the table.

Rose screamed and quickly got out of the way while the Doctor came around and wrestled with the drone's head. He gave it a few good yanks before it popped off and he held it tightly in his hands near another couples table. It opened its eyes and spoke.

"Don't think that's going to stop me!" it warned, making the man at the table scream surprisingly more like a girl than his date did before they ran off.

The drone's body continued to smash things with his two gigantic paddle-hands. It was causing serious damage considering it didn't have a head. Rose thinking quickly, smashed the fire alarm to get everyone to safety.

"Everyone out! Out now!" she shouted and everyone did as she said.

"Doctor, come on! Time to leave!" yelled Amanda, trying to be heard over the sound of the siren and people screaming in fear.

They quickly ran towards the kitchen, closely followed by both Rose and the flailing plastic body. Rose continued to shout to the employees they passed on the way to the back exit.

"Get out, get out, Get Out, GET OUT!"

Once they were all out the door, the Doctor quickly used the sonic screwdriver to lock it. Simultaneously, Amanda unlocked the TARDIS. Rose, in panic, ran over to the chain-locked gate and tugged on it repeatedly, trying to get it opened so they could escape.

"Come on, get it opened! Use that tube thing! Come on!" she called over to the Doctor.

"Sonic screwdriver." He corrected her, lazily.

"Use it!" she demanded, desperately pulling at the chains.

"Nah. Tell you what, let's go in here." he suggested nonchalantly. He followed Amanda inside the TARDIS. She immediately grabbed the Doctors head and planted a big kiss right onto his cheek.

"That. Was. Fantastic! HA! Pop goes the drone-head!" she laughed as she ran up to the console, completely missing the Doctor's cheeky grin. He was obviously very proud of himself.

"We can't hide inside a wooden box." Rose yelped, still too focused on the breaking metal door. She had started to follow him but the loud banging had her running back to the gate.

"Oof! It's going to get us!" She tugged a few more times. Upon finally giving up, she followed after them.

"Doctor! Amanda!" she yelled out as she slammed the door closed behind her.

When she turned around and saw the inside of the TARDIS, she ran straight back out with a look of both fear and confusion.

"What's she doing?" asked Amanda curiously.

"She's probably doing the thing people do when they see the inside for the first time where they run around the outside to make sure they're not going crazy." he replied as he was hooking up the head to the ship's scanners.

"Does that usually take long? We are kind of in a hurry here." she huffed.

"It varies from person to person I guess." he shrugged.

Just then, Rose came rushing back in.

"It's going to follow us." she tried to warn them.

"The assembled hordes of Genghis Khan couldn't get through that door, and believe me, they've tried." he boasted.

"Now shut up a minute." commanded Amanda as she rushed around to help the Doctor set up the drone-head.

"You see, the arm was too simple, but a head's perfect!" he explained to her as she handed him the wires he gestured to. "Now we'll definitely be able to trace the signal back to the original source!" he said triumphantly. "Right." They turned back to Rose. "Where do you want to start?" he asked.

Amanda leaned casually against the console next to him and smiled at Rose. She was feeling a bit friendlier now that they were finally getting somewhere.

"Um…the inside's bigger than the outside?" Rose asked hesitantly and a bit overwhelmed.

"Yes." he said simply.

"It's alien." She stated instead of questioned.

"Yeah." he replied again.

"Are you alien?" she asked.

"Yes." he said firmly.

"Is that all right?" Amanda asked her.

"Yeah." she answered quickly. "And what about you?" she added.

"Nah, just a human, sadly." Amanda sighed with a frown.

The Doctor nudged her side until she smiled again and turned his attention back to Rose.

"It's called The TARDIS, this thing. That's T-A-R-D-I-S. It stands for 'Time And Relative Dimension In Space'." he explained.

They gave her a moment to digest the information and smiled at each other, thinking fondly of the beautiful ship. Then, suddenly, Rose started crying.

"Ah, that's okay, culture shock." reassured the Doctor.

"Happens to the best of us." insisted Amanda, thinking back on what they now referred to as 'her twelve hours'.

"Did they kill him? Mickey. D-did they kill Mickey? Is he dead?" Rose asked, trying to stop crying.

"Oh." said Amanda, in thought, as she looked up at the Doctor.

"I didn't think of that." he looked down at Amanda.

The two of them stared at each other in thought for a second and then looked back to Rose. It was almost comical, if not for the expression that was now on Rose's face.

"He's my boyfriend. You pulled off his head." she accused.

"He's your boyfriend and you didn't even notice he was plastic?" Amanda tossed back, crossing her arms.

The Doctor placed a hand on her shoulder and squeezed to calm her down.

"They copied him, and you didn't even think?" Rose snapped. "And now you're just going to let him melt?"

"Melt?" The Doctor yelped.

Sure enough, the head was melting all over the console.

"Oh, no, no, no No, NO!" he shouted as he quickly ran about, trying to salvage the signal.

"What are you doing?" Rose cried.

He gave up on salvaging it and tried to just straight up chase it instead.

"Following the signal. It's fading." Amanda answered for him.

"Wait a minute, I've got it." He double checked the readings. "NO, No, no, no, no, No, NO!" He flicked some more switches as the TARDIS shook about. "Almost there. Almost there! Here we go!"

When it landed with a soft thud, he and Amanda quickly ran out the door to see where they were.

"You can't go out there! It's not safe!" Rose called after them.

She followed them anyway and was in shock when she got outside. They were at a dock or marina overlooking the lights of London.

"I lost the signal." He groaned and looked sadly at Amanda. "We were _so_ close."

He was frustrated with himself. He walked over to the railing of the bridge and sulked. Amanda came up behind him and leaned her head against his shoulder. He responded by wrapping his arm around hers as they sulked together, until Rose spoke up in awe and confusion.

"We've moved. Does it fly?" she asked.

Amanda sighed.

"It disappears there and reappears here—" she started to try and explain.

"You wouldn't understand." The Doctor saved her from having to explain.

"If we're somewhere else, what about that headless thing? It's still on the loose." Rose asked in concern.

"Melted with the head." he replied, getting even more frustrated as he left Amanda's side and started pacing. "Are you going to witter on all night?" he huffed.

"I'll have to tell his mother." she stated, too out of it to even register the insult.

It went silent as the other two glanced at each other in confusion.

"Mickey. I'll have to tell his mother he's dead and you two just went and forgot him—again." she said, getting agitated. "You were right. You are alien." she accused the Doctor. "And you might as well be. You're just as bad as him." she snapped at Amanda.

"Look, If We did forget some kid called Mickey…." he started getting defensive.

"Yeah, he's not a kid." Rose butted in, but the Doctor ignored her.

"It's because we're busy trying to save the life of every _stupid_ ape blundering about on top of this planet, all right?" he asked angrily.

"All right?" scoffed Rose.

"Yes, it is!" he snapped.

Amanda jumped in, trying to smooth things out. She turned to Rose and tried to get their point across calmly.

"Look, Rose, I know you're upset about your boyfriend. I get that. But you need to try and understand our priorities. Think of it this way. You're upset that Mickey's gone right?" at her nod, she continued. "Well, next, it will be your mother, then your best friend, followed by every single person you know and care for. On and on till everyone, even you, are gone. An entire species, an entire planet destroyed, unless we can find the Nestene and stop it. So yes, I get that you miss Mickey and I'm sorry, but we don't have the time to mourn him right now. We're trying to save the world." she finished and stared Rose down, willing her to understand so that they could move on.

"If you are alien," Rose directed her comment towards the Doctor. "How come you sound like you're from the north?"

Amanda barked out a laugh. That was not what she was expecting to hear her ask. Honestly, of all the ways she could have gone…that was a bit anti-climactic.

"Lots of planets have a north." The Doctor whined.

"What's a… 'Police Public Call Box'?" she asked next.

"It's a telephone box from the 1950's." he replied happily as he stroked the sides. "It's a disguise."

"Ha. Okay." She shakes her head. "And this—this living plastic, what's it got against us?" she asked Amanda.

Amanda, not expecting to be asked any questions, looked up and smiled.

"Nothing. It loves us." she replied. "We've got such a good planet, from what I understand." She looked to the Doctor for confirmation and continued when he nodded. "Lots of smoke and oil, plenty of toxins and dioxins in the air. Perfect—"

"Just what the Nestene Consciousness needs." The Doctor took over. "Its food stock was destroyed in the war. All its protein planets rotted—"

"So earth? Dinner." Amanda finished, miming eating.

"Anyway of stopping it?" Rose asked in concern.

"Anti-Plastic!" she replied.

"Anti-Plastic?" Rose repeated.

"Anti-Plastic-" The Doctor confirmed, flashing a small vile filled with a blue liquid for her to see. "—But first, we've got to find it." He started to walk back towards the edge of the bridge and looked out over the city. "How can you hide something that big in a city this small?"

"Hold on. Hide what?" asked Rose, now even more confused than before.

"The transmitter!" piped in Amanda, walking over to rejoin the Doctor. "The Consciousness is controlling every single piece of plastic, so it needs a transmitter to boost the signal…give it that extra kick."

She tried to explain it in a way that Rose would understand, but the poor girl still had that 'I am so overwhelmed right now, I just want to sleep' look on her face.

"What does it look like?" Rose tried.

"Like a transmitter. Obviously." Amanda said in a way that came off a bit snarky.

Now it was Rose's turn to roll her eyes and then she looked to the Doctor, hoped to get a better description. He huffed in frustration as he continued to pace the railing of the bridge.

"It'd be round and massive," He reiterated for her and stopped pacing with his back faced away from the city so he could lean against the railing. "Somewhere slap-bang in the middle of London. A huge, metal, circular structure, like a dish, like a wheel—radial. Close to where we're standing." he gestured with his arms. "Must be completely invisible." he sighed, doing his best to try and think of where it could be.

Behind him, all lit up for the night, was 'The London Eye'. It was a type of gigantic Ferris wheel. As the Doctor was describing it, Rose started to connect the dots. She looked over to Amanda to see if she had noticed it too and was happy that apparently, she, Rose Tyler, the oblivious human, had picked up on something before they did. Suppressing a smug grin, she just stared at it. The Doctor noticed her odd look and asked.

"What?"

Rose just continued to stare at it, but added a slight lift of her eyebrows to indicate that he should turn around. Amanda followed her gaze and slowly, a big grin appeared on her face and she started to laugh.

"Wow! Well, don't I just feel like an idiot now?" she shook her head and laughed.

"What? What is it, what?" The Doctor asked confused.

He still didn't see it so both girls raised their fingers to point behind him and smiled. He turned around again to look but still didn't see it. Then, like someone had flipped a switch, the girls saw it realization click and his eyes lit up.

"Oh." He looked back again and when he turned back around to look at them, he had a face splitting grin. "Fantastic!" Then he started running across the bridge towards the direction of 'The Eye', leaving the girls to chase after him, laughing.

Half way across the bridge, the Doctor grabbed onto Amanda's hand as he continued to run and so Amanda then turned back to Rose, smiling at her, she reached out to take her hand as well. Rose smiled back gratefully and accepted the other girl's offered hand, happy to be included. Together, the group continued to run as fast as they could towards their destination.

'_Good Lord, this is a long bridge!_' thought Amanda.

Eventually they found the stairs that led them down to the base of the wheel/ transmitter so they stopped for a moment to catch their breaths and get their bearings.

"Think of it—" The Doctor spoke up. "Plastic, all over the world. Every artificial thing waiting to come alive."

"Like you saw before with the shop window dummies, but with everything else included too. The phones, the wires, the cables—" Amanda elaborated.

"The breast implants." Rose added off-handedly, making Amanda laugh.

"Still, we've found the transmitter. The Consciousness must be somewhere underneath." said the Doctor as he glanced around.

Rose ran over to another bit of railing that surrounded one of the entrances for the city's underground electric system.

"What about down here?" she suggested.

The Doctor and Amanda ran over to see what she was indicating.

"Looks good to me." he smiled.

"Seriously! You are on a roll, Rose!" Amanda said encouragingly.

They all quickly ran down the stairs that lead to the entrance. In the ground was a large, round hatch. The Doctor grabbed the wheel and turned it till it opened. When it did, they were greeted by lots of steam, an ominous red glow, and a ladder.

The Doctor went down first to make sure it was safe, and then came Amanda followed lastly by Rose. Once they were all together again, the Doctor lead them through a door and over to a balcony that overlooked the large room they were now in.

"The Nestene Consciousness—that's it, inside the vat." pointed out the Doctor.

He looked at their faces. Rose looked sort of scared and Amanda had a look of sadness bordering on disappointment. He expected Rose to be fearful, but Amanda's reaction confused him.

"What's wrong?" he asked her concerned.

Amanda sighed with a frown.

"I was just expecting it to be a different color is all. I mean, after half a week of chasing it's minions around the city to find it, you'd think it could at least give me the courtesy of being decent color. This is okay though, I suppose, kind of makes it look like lava." she replied.

She had said it so seriously and looked so thoughtful about it, the Doctor couldn't help but lightly chuckle and lean down to place a kiss on the top of her head. This made Amanda scrunch up her nose and thwack him on the arm.

"Don't make fun!" she glared.

"A living plastic creature." said the Doctor as he observed it.

"The way it moves around in the vat…it's disgusting, yet…it has this sort of beauty about it." added Amanda.

The two of them grasped onto each other's hand and stared at the creature with soft smiles for just a moment, before they had to confront the reason they had been tracking it in the first place.

"Well, then, tip in your anti-plastic and let's go." said Rose.

Both the Doctor and Amanda whipped their heads in her direction with a similar look of annoyance.

"We're not here to kill it." snapped Amanda.

"I've got to give it a chance." he said sternly.

"The Doctor always gives them a chance." She looked at him with an admiring smile and squeezed his hand and he squeezed it back. "Sadly, they don't always take it and that's when things tend to get ugly." She dropped the Doctor's hand as they all started to make their way down the stairs to get closer. Amanda looked back at Rose over her shoulder. "Let's hope the Nestene don't blow it."

The girls stood behind the Doctor as he leaned slightly over the railing and called down to the creature in a firm voice, full of confidence and determination.

"I seek audience with the Nestene Consciousness under peaceful contract, according to convention fifteen of The Shadow Proclamation."

There was a bunch of gurgling and screeching that Rose didn't understand. She looked over to Amanda who was staring at the situation with a straight face and listening intently. Rose leaned in closer to here.

"Do you understand what its saying?" she asked her.

Amanda looked at her and smiled softly with a nod of her head. She leaned in to whisper into Rose's ear so as not to offend the Consciousness.

"Basically, it's answering in the affirmative, but in a very long-winded way…it's not a very humble creature. Bit of a superiority complex if you ask me. If you listen carefully, you should be able to catch some of it." Amanda answered.

Rose nodded her head in understanding.

"Thank you, if I might have permission to approach." he requested.

Just then, Rose spotted her boyfriend, Mickey, and quickly started to make her way over to him. Both Amanda and the Doctor couldn't help but roll their eyes at them and started to make their way down to the lowest balcony.

"Oh my God! Mickey, it's me. It's okay. It's all right. It's all right." Rose fussed.

That thing down there—the liquid, Rose, it can talk." Mickey whimpered.

Then Rose caught a whiff of him and blanched.

"Oh, you're stinking. Doctor, Amanda, they kept him alive!" she said in relief.

"Yeah, that was always a possibility—" Amanda tossed out as they passed by.

"—Keep him alive to maintain the copy." The Doctor elaborated.

Neither Rose nor Mickey looked very happy to hear this.

"You two knew that and you never said." Rose accused.

"Can we keep the domestics outside, thank you?" asked the Doctor. "Now, Amanda—" He grabbed both her shoulders and looked at her. "You know the drill. If things go wrong, you get the hell out of here and take those two with you. Got it?" he asked.

"Got it." she assured him.

"And you two." he said to the others. "Stay here and don't do anything stupid. Got it?" He directed the last part mainly to Mickey.

"Hey!" complained Mickey at the same time Rose said "Got it."

The Doctor and Amanda turned and walked the rest of the way down the stairs. The Doctor stood front and center while Amanda stayed back a ways and off to the side. The others watched from above as the creature morphed to for a sort of face when the Doctor approached.

"Am I addressing the Consciousness?" The Doctor asked.

The creature replied with the same noises as it did before.

"Thank you. If I might observe, you infiltrated this civilization by means of Warp Shunt Technology. So, may I suggest, with the greatest respect, that you _shunt_ off." he said with a very cheeky smirked.

He was glad to hear Amanda chuckle behind him. He had said the last bit in the way he did mainly for her benefit. He knew she couldn't resist a play on words. Of course, the Consciousness was now growling in its own defense, very upset.

"Oh don't give me that. It's an invasion, plain and simple." he scoffed. "Don't talk about constitutional rights."

The creature roared even louder but the Doctor cut it off.

"I AM TALKING." He snapped. The creature became silent so the Doctor continued in a calmer voice. "This planet is just starting. These stupid, little people have only just learnt how to walk, but they're capable of so much more. I'm asking you on their behalf, please, just go."

Unbeknownst to him, a plastic manikin had just grabbed hold of Amanda, clamping a hand over her mouth and was dragging her forward with two more, towards him.

"Doctor!" shouted Rose in warning when she saw what was happening, but it was too late.

One of the manikins grabbed his arms and held them in place while the other searched his pockets. He looked over to the other to make sure they were okay and Amanda looked back with an apologetic expression as she struggled. The Nestene started to growl in outrage when the manikin pulled out the vile of anti-plastic.

"That was just insurance, I wasn't going to use it." he tried to explain.

The Consciousness gurgled an accusation.

"I was not attacking you. I'm here to help. I'm not your enemy. I swear, I'm not."

It screeched loudly.

"What do you mean?" he asked, confused, and then he looked up at the maintenance lift to see the TARDIS. "OH, Oh, No, honestly, no." He looked back to the Consciousness. "Yes, that's my ship." he replied sadly.

It continued to rumble angrily.

"That's not true. I should know. I was there! I fought in the war. It wasn't my fault." He struggled harder and so did Amanda as she tried to get to him. "I couldn't save your world. I couldn't save any of them!" he cried.

The creature growled more viciously and started to thrash about wildly.

"What's it doing!" called out Rose.

"It's the TARDIS." answered the Doctor. "The Nestene's identified it as superior technology. It's terrified. It's going to the final phase. It's starting the invasion. Get out, Rose! Just leg it, now!" he shouted.

Amanda was seriously pissed now. The stupid manikin wouldn't uncover her mouth and it wasn't like she could bite its hand unless she wanted to break her teeth and the Nestene's screeches just kept on getting louder. It was starting to hurt her ears. Suddenly, bolts of electricity shot up from the Consciousness' amorphous form to power up the transmitter.

"It's the activation signal. It's transmitting." The Doctor confirmed her thoughts.

'_Well, son of a biscuit!_' She shouted mentally, seeing as she was incapable of doing it verbally, at the moment. She also had to admit that the plastic hands that were digging into her were really starting to get painful. She wouldn't be surprised to find bruises later. She could vaguely hear Rose say something about the end of the world. Amanda knew that Rose and Mickey had to get out before it was too late, but for some reason, they were still just standing there. '_Why are they just standing there like idiots?_' She asked, well, no one.

She knew it was going to hurt like hell, but hopefully, it would be worth it. With three swift jerks of her head that caused the manikin's thumb to cut her cheek, she was finally able to get her mouth free. And boy did she use it.

"ROSE, MICKEY! STOP STANDING THERE LIKE IDIOTS!" she screamed. "You two have to get out. Get out while you still can! Just Go!"

There was a loud crashing sound followed by falling bits of the ceiling.

"The stairs have gone." Rose cried out.

She and Mickey, instead, ran over to the TARDIS and tried to open the doors. They wouldn't budge. They were really frantic and Mickey looked to be one loud noise away from a breakdown.

"I haven't got a key!" Rose shouted in desperation.

She and Mickey huddled together against the ship in fear. Suddenly, it was like something in Rose just snapped. She knew what she had to do, after all, what did she have to lose? She stood up, and Mickey grabbed her leg. She ignored him as she stared around at all the chaos. Looking down at both the Doctor and Amanda as they struggled for their lives, she made eye contact with them for a moment to gather the courage she needed to do what she was about to do. She shook Mickey from her leg and quickly ran over to a section of wall that held an ax and a thick chain.

"There's nothing you can do!" Mickey called after her.

She grabbed the ax and aimed it at the chain.

"I've got no A-levels…..no job….no future. But, I'll tell you what I have got—" She grunted as she hacked at the chain, effectively breaking it. "—Jericho Street Junior School Under-7s Gymnastics Team—I've got the bronze." She smirked.

Stepping up to the edge of the upper level with a firm hold of the chain, she took a deep breath before she jumped. She grunted she held on, swinging around and knocking over the manikin that held the anti-plastic, over the edge into the Nestene's vat where it spilled open. It sparked and screeched in pain. She held on desperately as she was swinging over the deadly vat of Nestene.

When Rose had swung by, the Doctor had just managed to flip over his manikin and pushed it into the vat. Quickly, he rushed over to Amanda and helped her to escape her own manikin. When he saw the cut on her cheek, he became so agitated, that instead of pushing the drone into the vat, he whipped out the sonic screwdriver and aimed it at its head causing it to explode.

"Angry much?" She asked him with a cheeky grin before she gave him a bone crushing hug which he gladly returned.

"Doctor!" Called out Rose.

They both turned at the sound of her voice, just in time for the Doctor to catch her when she swung in their direction. The three of them embraced each other, laughing.

"Ha! Now we're in trouble", grinned the Doctor.

The trio, ran as fast as they could back up the stairs, to the TARDIS, that for some reason, Mickey was trying to wrap his arms around. While they waited for the Doctor to open the doors, Amanda turned to Rose with a pout.

"You have no idea how jealous I am of you right now." She started.

Rose looked at her with both eyebrows raised in surprise so Amanda continued.

"You got to have an awesome Tarzan moment while I was stuck having to play a damsel-in-distress." she whined.

They stared at each other for a moment before they both burst out laughing at the whole situation. They ran inside the TARDIS once it was finally open. Still laughing, Amanda ran up to the console to help the Doctor get them all out of there as quickly as possible. They managed to dematerialize just as the Nestene's lair exploded, effectively canceling out the transmitter's signal.

When they rematerialized, Mickey couldn't seem to run out of the ship fast enough. He ran to the other side of the alleyway they had landed in and practically fell to the ground in a ball of shock. Rose walked out calmly and gave her mother a quick call just to check that she was alive.

"Fat lot of good you were." she said as she tried to get him to stand up, unsuccessfully.

Mickey was whimpering. He couldn't stop staring at the TARDIS. When Rose turned back to face the ship, she saw that both the Doctor and Amanda were leaning against the doorway, the Doctor with his arm around her shoulder and her with her hands in her pockets. They both wore smug grins.

"Nestene Consciousness." he grinned and snapped the fingers of his free hand. "Easy."

"You were useless in there. The two of you would be dead if it wasn't for me." Rose joked with her own smug grin.

"Yes, we would." said Amanda.

She and the Doctor both looked at Rose, humbled, with soft smiles on their faces.

"Thank you." The Doctor said, sincerely. He paused for a moment— "Right then. We'll be off….Unless, uh, I don't know…You could come with us." he suggested, feigning disinterest. "This box isn't just a London hopper, you know, it goes anywhere in the universe, free of charge." he added excitedly.

"Don't!" whimpered Mickey as he clung tighter to Rose. "He's an alien. He's a thing." he accused in disgust and fear.

"He's not invited." Amanda said, sweetly and with a smile, though the Doctor could sense the angry undertone and rubbed circles into her shoulder to calm her down.

"What do you think?" The Doctor asked. "You could stay here and fill your life with work, food, and sleep. Or you could go, uh…..anywhere." He smirked.

"Is it always this dangerous?" she asked Amanda.

"Yeah." she answered with an excited smile. "But….we do have down time too."

Mickey latched on tighter to Rose's waist lake a child afraid they were trying to take away his mother.

"Yeah, I can't. I've um—I've got to go and find my mum and—someone's got to look after this stupid lump, so….." she said, even though her face said otherwise.

"Okay." The Doctor replied with a soft smile that reflected Amanda's, but they were both just hiding their disappointment. "See you around." They both slowly walked back into the TARDIS and closed the door.

Outside, Rose watched as it faded away. Mickey was finally standing. They started to walk home. Then, not even twenty seconds later, she hears the sound of the TARDIS rematerializing. When she turned around, sure enough, it was back. Suddenly, the door opened and Amanda's head popped out with a sneaky grin.

"By the way, did we ever mention that it also travels in time?" she asked with a cheeky grin and walked back into the ship, leaving the door open.

Rose turned to Mickey and grinned.

"Thanks." she said.

"For what?" he asked, confused.

"Exactly." she grinned before she kissed his cheek and ran for the TARDIS.

_**End Of Ch. 2**_

**Hope you liked this chapter! Please review and tell me how I'm doing. Remember, I can't fix things if you don't point them out.**

**Also, don't forget to check out my profile for pictures of things throughout the story! **


	3. The Sun Expands

**Here's the next chapter! Hope you guys like it!**

**Thanks to **Cetacea-of-Time, HayatoxAkemi, and BrittWitt16 **for your wonderful reviews! You guys are awesome!**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Doctor Who or anything associated with it in any way, shape, or form.**

_**Impossible or Just Highly Unlikely**_

_The Sun Expands_

*******TARDIS/ Console Room*******

Rose ran through the doors that were left open for her and closed them behind her. She had mixed feelings at the moment, both hesitant and excited. She was really doing this. Grinning to herself, she bit her lower lip and turned to face the rest of the ship, walking farther into the room. Looking around, she stopped; there was something or rather someone missing.

"Doctor…..where's Amanda? She was just here; she called me over, not 4 seconds ago." She asked, confused.

"Oh. She just went to grab something from her room and clean up the cut on her face so I can close it up."

The Doctor looked really excited. He was ready to start another adventure!

"Right, then, Rose Tyler, you tell me—where do you want to go? Backwards or forwards in time. It's your choice. What's it going to be?" He asked her.

"Oh, forwards." She tossed out, jokingly. '_Why not._' She thought.

The Doctor flicked some switches and asked…

"How far?"

"One hundred years" she replied, it nearly came out as a question.

The Doctor then turned a dial, pulled some levers, and grabbed hold of the console to steady himself. The TARDIS whorled and wheezed into action, flinging them into the future. Rose wasn't ready for the movement and had to quickly brace herself as well.

Meanwhile, Amanda was in her room, just like the Doctor had said, finishing up with her face. She just ended up using good old fashioned soap and water on it, but she wasn't going to tell him that. She smirked to herself as she put on some scented lotion. '_That place smelt like a sewer and there's no reason I should have to still smell like it too._' She thought. When she started to put her hair back up into a ponytail, she felt the room shake slightly. '_That punk! He actually started without me!_' With a huff of annoyance, she jumped to her feet and ran back to the main room.

A few seconds later, the ship came to a stop.

"There you go, step outside those doors and it's the twenty-second century."

"You're kidding." She said skeptically.

The Doctor smirked at her disbelief. Then, both of them whipped their heads around to another doorway when they heard Amanda speak.

"That's a bit boring, though. Do you want to go further?" She asked.

Amanda was just standing there all calm, with a smooth grin on her face, leaning against one of the coral-like columns. She was staring at Rose in a friendly challenge.

"Fine by me." Rose answered, smiling back.

The Doctor jumped around, doing the same motions as before, but now, he added a few turns of a wheel and a couple thrusts of a pump. The room shook again as they took off, going a bit farther until the Doctor turned a nob, bringing them to a stop. Amanda walked over to join them and leaned against the console.

"Ten thousand years in the future." The Doctor pointed to the door. "Step outside. It's the year 12,005, The New Roman Empire." He offered.

Rose shook her head and chuckled.

"You think you're so impressive." She challenged him.

Amanda laughed at this change of attitude and the Doctor looked like a sad puppy.

"I _am_ so impressive." He whined.

"You wish." Rose teased.

The Doctor was smirking now. Rose wanted _impressive_ and he would give it to her. Besides— he glanced over at Amanda —He_ had_ promise her a trip to an art show at some point and she would love this. Why not kill two birds with one stone?

"Right, then. You asked for it. I know exactly where to go." He said.

He then, with more flourish, turned the same wheel from before several more times and added even more thrusts to the pumping mechanism. The TARDIS kicked into gear, taking just a few seconds longer than before as they flew even farther into the future.

"Hold on." He warned.

The Doctor then turned a knob to land them and tapped a desk-bell when they were done rematerializing. He smiled smugly up at Rose.

"Where are we?" She asked them.

The Doctor and Amanda gestured to the door as if to say 'go and see for yourself'.

"What's out there?" She asked, more excitedly.

The Doctor just gestured for her to go to the door again while Amanda rolled her eyes and gave Rose a playful shove in that direction. When Rose finally went out the doors, Amanda waltzed up to the Doctor and punched him in the arm.

"Owe! What was that for?" He whined.

She put her hands on her hips and sent him a mock glare.

"I can't believe you started without me."

The Doctor stared at his feet in shame.

"Oh, right….." He looked back up at her with a sad frown that in a split second turned into an adorable smile. "Sorry."

She quickly averted her gaze.

"God, I hate it when you do that!" She groaned.

"No you don't." He teased with his signature cheeky grin. "Now let's get going. Don't want to keep our new friend waiting."

He grabbed her hand and led her to the door.

"Remember how I promised you an artistic event?" He asked her.

Amanda looked up at him with a face-splitting smile and did an enthusiastic fist-pump.

"YES!" She shouted.

Her reaction made the Doctor very happy. Just before they stepped out the door, Amanda stopped them.

"Wait!" She yelped.

She turned her injured cheek in his direction.

"Oh, right." He said, taking out his sonic screwdriver.

He aimed it at the cut and closed it up, making it disappear.

"Thanks!" She chirped.

She gave him a quick hug and walked out to join Rose who was looking around the enclosed and empty room that they had appeared in.

Though there was nothing _in _the small room, the place itself was still rather impressive. The walls were made of some sort of tan stone with elegant light fixtures and the design of the tile floor was very pleasing to the eye. They were on a platform by the room's entrance and just below them were a set of large bleacher-like seats with stairs that ran down the middle, leading to another open area. The Doctor, realizing what sort of room they were in, walked over to the entrance with his sonic screwdriver to tinker with the settings on the wall panel making the shutters on the massive observation window lower themselves so that they could see outside.

Rose's face morphed into a look of complete awe when she saw what was out there. They were in space and right below them was a perfect view of the earth.

"Beautiful." Whispered Amanda to no one in particular.

The Doctor came up beside them and grasped her hand. They all took a moment just to stare at the planet. It was so peaceful.

"You lot—you spend all your time thinking about dying, like you're going to be killed by eggs or beef or global warming or asteroids. But you never take time to imagine the impossible, that maybe you survive. This is the year 5.5/APPLE/26— five billion years in your future. This is the day…." He lifted his hand that was holding Amanda's, not bothering to let go, and looked at his watch. "Hold on—"

After a second, he gestured for them to look back out the window. When they did, they saw a flash of blinding light as the sun flared brightly. Tentacles of orange, red, and yellow started to make their way, slowly, towards the earth. The sight was so gorgeous; Amanda gasped and dropped the Doctor's hand to move closer to the window with a soft, appreciative smile on her face. Rose unconsciously followed her.

"This is the day the sun expands." He told them as walked up just behind them with a look that mirrored Amanda's. "Welcome to the end of the world."

They continued to stare out at the planet for a few minutes, taking it all in. Though, no one seemed to notice the look of melancholy that came over Rose, when suddenly, Amanda piped up, snapping them all to attention.

"Well, this room is a bit small and I'm assuming it's not the only one here, so, what do you say, Rose—" She smiled at her new friend and grabbed her hand to lead her to the door. "—want to explore the others?"

Rose giggled at the other girl's enthusiasm and followed her out into the hallway once the door slid open with a satisfying whooshing noise. The Doctor walked slightly ahead of them to lead the way. While they were walking, a pleasant, feminine computerized voice was heard over the P.A. system.

"_**Shuttles five and six now docking. Guests are reminded that 'Platform One' forbids the use of teleportation, weapons, and religion. Earth Death is scheduled for 15:39, followed by drinks in the Manchester Suite."**_

Rose picked up her pace to catch up with the Doctor, pulling Amanda along with her. She was very curious about what the announcement said.

"So, when it says 'guests', does that mean people?" She asked.

"That depends on what you mean by 'people'." He answered vaguely.

"I mean 'people'. What do you mean?" Rose was confused.

"Aliens." Amanda answered for him.

She gave Rose an innocent smile before she let their hands drop so she could skip ahead. Rose trailed after her.

"Well what are they doing aboard this spaceship? What's it all for?" Rose asked.

They paused for a second while the Doctor used his screwdriver to open another Door

"It's not really a spaceship—more like an observation deck." He answered. "The great and the good are gathering to watch the planet burn."

"What for?" She asked, though she didn't think she was going to like the answer.

The Doctor walked through the door into the next room which must be the Manchester suite, seeing as it looked to be the largest observation area. Amanda followed right behind him and called over her shoulder, answering Rose's question with a very nonchalant attitude.

"Fun."

Yep. Rose was right. She didn't like the answer. Nor did she like how the other two seemed to be so okay with it. They seemed, almost excited about it, like it would be 'fun' to watch, but, they couldn't be right? That wasn't really why the three of them were there, was it?

"Mind you," The Doctor told her. "When I say 'The Great and The Good', what I mean is the rich."

The room was amazing. There was an observation window on the far wall that went from the floor, all the way up until it wrapped up and over, continuing partway across the ceiling. There were tall, boxed pillars along both sides of the room that looked like they were made of some sort of black-marble. Next to each pillar, was a glass display case filled with pieces of art and random artifacts from several different planets. Everything around them was clean, and shining, and elegant. Definitely a place one would expect to see the starlets of society gather and pay homage to one another.

The trio started to walk over to the window to look at the earth again, now, from a different angle. Though, Amanda took her time following them. She was too entranced by the art collection and had to stop and look at every display case. As they made their way across the room, Rose remembered something she'd seen on TV and decided to bring it up.

"But, hold on. They did this once on 'Newsround Extra'—The sun expanding. That takes hundreds of years." She told them.

"Millions!" Amanda called out to her and then went right back to looking at the displays.

"But the Planet's now the property of the National Trust. They've been keeping it preserved…" The Doctor started too explained.

Amanda finally joined them at the window and looked out. The sun was mesmerizing.

"…See down there?" He pointed to several metal objects that were floating around the planet. "Gravity satellites, holding back the sun."

"The Planet looks the same as ever. I thought the continents shifted and things." Rose commented looking confused.

"They did, and the Trust shifted them back." He assured her.

"Neat! A classic earth." Piped in Amanda. She grinned and chuckled, adding—"Bet that wasn't cheap."

"Nope, it wasn't…" He agreed. "… and now that the money's run out, nature takes over."

"How long's it got?" Asked Rose.

The Doctor checked his watch and answered.

"About half an hour, then the planet gets roasted."

"Is that why we're here? I mean, is that what you two do, jump in at the last moment and save the earth?" Asked Rose.

She was feeling a little better now. She knew her planet would be safe if Amanda and the Doctor stepped in. They wouldn't let it get destroyed, right? Unfortunately, their next words completely crushed those hopes.

"We're not saving it" said the Doctor.

"—Times up." Added Amanda.

Rose was shocked. How could they just sit back and watch it happen….do nothing? This made her angry.

"But, what about the people?" She demanded.

'_How could they not care? Especially Amanda, that was here planet too. Isn't she concerned at all?_' She wondered, very disappointed in them.

Amanda smiled at her.

"It's empty. They've all gone, all left. I mean, think about it, humans are way too curious for their own good and very ambitious too….Millions of years in the future….why would they stay on earth with all those stars out there for them to explore." Amanda assured her.

Rose had that melancholy look on her face again as she stared at her dying planet.

"So, just you and me then." She said.

Amanda smiled and grasped Rose's hand, giving it a good squeeze. Rose was about to smile back, but their friendly moment was ruined by the voice of what Amanda now referred to (mentally only, of course) as a Blue Man Crew Reject.

"Who the hell are you?" The Blue man demanded.

Amanda rolled her eyes.

"Oh, that's nice, thanks." Said the Doctor, sarcastically.

The Blue man looked anxious, worried even. Like we were here to rain on his own personal parade.

"But, how did you get in? This is a maximum hospitality zone. The guests have disembarked. They're on their way, any second now." The steward (Blue Man) snapped.

"No, that's us. We're guests." The Doctor assured him while pulling out a small black booklet with white paper inside. "Look, we've got an invitation." He held up the paper for the steward to see. "Look. There, you see? It's fine. You see? 'Amanda Winters and The Doctor, plus one'."

Amanda gestured to each of them accordingly.

"I'm Amanda, he's the Doctor, and she's Rose Tyler, our 'plus one'. Is that all right?"

The steward went a little pale and looked like he'd almost shit-a-brick.

"Well, obviously." He answered, taken aback. "Apologies et cetera. If you're on board, we'd better start." He was about to walk away, but then decided to add with a hesitant smile. "Enjoy."

The steward then made his way to a podium where there sat a microphone. When he was far enough away, the Doctor turned to Rose and showed her the bit of paper.

"The paper is slightly psychic. Shows them whatever I want them to see." He explained. "I'm curious…What do you see, Rose?"

He held it up for her.

"An invitation. 'Amanda Winters and The Doctor, plus one', just like you said." She replied. "Why?"

"Because I can't see anything." Said Amanda, slightly frustrated. She then smirked at the Doctor. "You put my name first…what's the occasion?"

He just looked away, innocently.

"Just a coincidence." He answered and Amanda rolled her eyes.

"Anyways….He uses that thing all the time, but, whenever I look, it's always blank. I know it's cool that I can't be tricked by the stuff and all, but just once, I'd like to see what it looks like for myself. Oh well, it's still nifty anyways. Saves us a lot of time."

Rose nodded her head and looked back at the steward, hesitantly. Amanda smiled and rolled her eyes.

"Go ahead and say it. Get it out of your system." She suggested.

"He's blue." Said Rose, making Amanda chuckle.

"Yeah." Said the Doctor, bobbing his head up and down, grinning.

"Okay." She said.

Rose smiled. She was starting to get acclimated to the situation.

"Oh, Rose! Wait until you see Jabe's dress, it's gorgeous!" Amanda told her excitedly, bouncing in place a little.

The Doctor subtly glanced at her. '_Is she doing it again?_' He wondered. Rose was about to ask her what she was talking about, but was cut off by the steward who had reached his podium and started calling out introductions.

"_**We have in attendance Amanda Winters, The Doctor, and Rose Tyler. Thank you. All staff to their positions."**_

The steward pompously clapped his hands, the results to which brought out several other blue people in uniforms with helmets that covered their faces. These workers were different from the steward however. He was an inch or so taller than the Doctor and the others were about the size of Hobbits and Dwarves. They were cute. The three of them smiled as they watched them rush about quickly to do their jobs

"_**Hurry. Thank you. Quick as you can. Come along, come along."**_ The steward commanded them. _**"And now, might I introduce the next honored guests? Representing the forest of Cheem, we have 'Trees'. Namely Jabe, Lute, and Coffa. There will be an exchange of gifts, representing peace."**_ He announced, confirming the Doctor's suspicions.

The doors slid open to reveal three, humanoid tree people. Rose's eyes grew wide in both shock from seeing alien, tree people and confusion because Amanda was right. The leading tree was a female named Jabe, flanked by her to guards and she did indeed have on a gorgeous dress. It reminded rose of autumn, with its red and orange fabric, and gold embroidery. Rose was about to ask her how she knew about Jabe, but the Doctor stopped her by placing his hand on her shoulder and whispered so Amanda couldn't hear.

"Don't" He warned her. "She doesn't know how she does it and she didn't even notice that she's done it again. If you bring it to her attention, it will be all she can think about for the rest of this trip and it will do nothing but scare and depress her."

"How do _you_ think she does it?" Rose asked.

The Doctor sighed.

"I haven't figured it out myself yet either."

Rose let it go and faced the doors again to see what strange alien would come in next.

"_**If you could keep the room circulating, thank you. From the solicitors of Jolco and Jolco, we have The Moxx Of Balhoon."**_

The doors slid open again to reveal a small, chubby, blue alien with a bald head that slightly resembled a butt. He glided in on a hovering chair that was far bigger than he was, to the point that his legs didn't even touch the edges of the top.

Rose's eyes went wide and she was in an uncomfortable state of awe again. This alien was even weirder than the tree people and he wasn't wearing any clothes. '_What did I get myself into?_' She wondered.

"_**And next, from Financial Family Seven, we have The Adherents Of The Repeated Meme."**_

This was a group of mysterious beings who wore black, hooded cloaks, so you couldn't see what they looked like, with golden chains around their shoulders.__Even Amanda thought they were a little creepy, not that she would let either of her friends know. They sort of reminded her of Wraiths with bling. She pushed the uneasiness aside, though, as she and the Doctor were both having fun watching Rose's facial expressions change with each new creature that she saw. They couldn't help but exchange laughs and grins with each other in amusement. They weren't trying to be cruel or inconsiderate; they just found the situation to be rather funny.

"_**The inventors of Hyposlip Travel Systems, the brothers Hop Pyleen—Thank you. Cal 'Spark Plug'."**_

These two, were humanoid lizard people in Arab garb that were followed by two dome-headed creatures with hoods and gas-masks. The other guests started to come in faster.

"_**Mr. and Mrs. Pakoo **_(two, tall, humanoid vulture-bird people)_**. The ambassadors from the city-state of Binding Light **_(two, old, goblin-looking creatures with four nostrils)_**."**_

Their attention was brought away from the other arriving guests as they were approached by The Trees. One of the guards was holding a tray of small, potted, leafy plants. The other, took one of the little pots and handed it to Jabe, who gave the trio a friendly smile and handed it to the Doctor.

"The gift of peace. I bring you a cutting of my grandfather." She offered.

The Doctor took it from her gratefully.

"Thank you." He handed the plant over to Rose and started to pat down his pockets. "Yes. Gifts, um….."

Unfortunately, they hadn't known about the gift exchange so they didn't bring anything to hand out. They had to give them something. '_What the heck do you give trees?_' Thought Amanda. '_Oh, right!_' She elbowed the Doctor lightly in his side. He leaned down so she could whisper into his ear.

"Carbon dioxide and moisture?" She suggested.

The Doctor smiled proudly at her quick thinking and did as she suggested. He cleared his throat and looked back at Jabe who was waiting patiently.

"I give you, in return, air from my lungs."

He then proceeded to lightly blow air at her face. She blinked in pleasant surprise and looked back at the Doctor with what Amanda thought was a weird look.

"How…intimate." She replied, flirtatiously.

"There's more where that came from." He replied back, in the same manner.

Amanda rolled her eyes in annoyance. She wasn't expecting her suggestion to work out this way and it upset her that the Doctor was playing along.

"I bet there is." Amanda said sarcastically.

The Doctor noticed her attitude change and nudged her reassuringly. He was only having a bit of fun. Amanda and Rose exchanged friendly smiles with the trees as the group from Cheem moved off to schmooze with the other guests.

"_**The sponsor of the main event, please welcome The Face Of Boe."**_

The doors slid open again to reveal a giant head in a glass tank. He looked very old and had big, mesmerizing, red-brown eyes. His skin was brown and slightly crusty yet smooth at the same time and instead of hair, he had tentacles that looked like bits of brown seaweed.

The Face Of Boe swept his gaze around the room until he locked eyes, with Amanda, a soft smile pulled at his features. She gasped. He looked like he recognized her from somewhere, but she knew that she had never seen him before in her life. Yet…there it was again, nagging at the back of her mind….that sense of déjà vu. Sadly, she was forced to look away when her group was approached by another guest and she focused her attention on the alien who was now in front of them.

"The Moxx Of Balhoon." Announced the Doctor.

Amanda had to turn her head into the Doctor's arm for a second, to hide her giggles when they heard the Moxx speak. His voice matched his height making him sound very squeaky.

"My felicitations upon this historical happenstance. I bring you the gift of bodily saliva." He said cheerfully.

Amanda quickly hid her face again as the Moxx reared back and hawked a great big wad of spit that hit Rose right in the eye. '_Oh, bull's eye! How disgusting._' Thought Amanda, again, trying not to laugh.

"Thank you." The Doctor chuckled.

When the Moxx moved away, Amanda looked around the Doctor to Rose and tried to keep a straight face.

"Sorry about that, Rose. You okay?" She asked.

Rose frowned at her with a look that said, 'you're joking right?' All Amanda could do was smile sheepishly and look away.

"Ah! The Adherents of the Repeated Meme." Announced the Doctor.

Both girls had slight chills run up their spines but smiled politely in greetings anyways.

"I bring you air from my lungs." The Doctor offered as he breathed on them in a dramatic fashion.

The head Meme replied in a chilling, robotic voice while handing a round, silverfish metal orb, the size of a soft-ball to the Doctor.

"A gift of peace in all good faith."

The Doctor took the ball, tossed it up once, catching it and handed it over to Rose as well. The Meme left abruptly, before the Doctor could thank them.

"_**And last but not least, our very special guest. Ladies and gentlemen and trees and multiforms, consider the earth below. In memory of this dying world, we call forth the last human-"**_ Started the steward, in a dramatic voice.

The three friends looked back towards the steward and the sliding doors in curious expectation, though Rose with a bit more unease.

"_**The Lady Cassandra O' Brien dot Delta17."**_

Rose was speechless as she unconsciously took a step closer to get a better look. She was _not_ expecting _this_. There was no way that this _thing_ could possibly be what the steward said she was.

The 'last human' was just a flap of skin with a pair of blue eyes, two holes where the nose should be and a set of bright red lips. 'Cassandra' was hooked up to a metal frame contraption with a glass, brain jar at the base as some sort of life-support system. She was flanked by two men in white, plastic suits and facemasks, carrying spray-bottle mechanisms that looked like something you'd use to spray pest-control chemicals. With a surprisingly delightful voice, she addressed the room.

"Oh, now, don't stare. I know, I know. It's shocking isn't it? I've had my chin completely taken away, and look at the difference-" Said Cassandra in a light conversational manner.

Amanda and the Doctor shared a humorous grin at the hilarity of the new arrival.

"Now, that's what I call an extreme addiction to cosmetic surgery! Meeting the 'last human' isn't going to be as anti-climactic as I thought it would be. She's delightful!" Whispered Amanda, so only her friends could hear.

She and the Doctor shared a good laugh. This was hilarious, so humanly, human.

"-Look how thin I am. Thin and dainty. I don't look a day over two thousand." Continued Cassandra, happily. Then she frowned and called out to her attendants. "Moisturize me. Moisturize me." They did as they were told and spritzed her face with their sprayers. "Truly….I _am_ the last human." She declared.

Rose was still in shock though as she ignored the two of them joking around and walked closer to Cassandra to subtly walk around her, thinking, '_This just can't be real_'. Her companions stopped laughing for a moment to watch her, neither knowing how she would react and were ready to pull her away if necessary.

"My father was a Texan." She continued.

Amanda elbowed the Doctor's side playfully, rolled her eyes and snickered.

"Figures, she'd be at least part American. Ha! And coo-dose to Texas for lasting so long, the crazy little buggars."

He grinned back at her.

"My mother was from the Arctic Desert. They were born on the earth and were the last to be buried in its soil. I have come to honor them…..and say goodbye." Cassandra explained.

Her voice took on a twinge of sadness as she sniffled once and blinked her eyes that were starting to glisten. One of her attendants brought out a tissue to dab at her few tears.

"Oh, no tears. No tears." She told herself and apologized to everyone a little embarrassed. "I'm sorry." She pulled herself together and addressed the room again in a better mood. "But, behold, I bring gifts from earth itself—"

This caught both Rose's and Amanda's attention as they looked on curiously in anticipation. One of the little blue workers came in and held up what looked like a big rock for everyone to see.

"—The last remaining ostrich egg." Cassandra announced.

The Doctor and Amanda looked at it in appreciation.

"Of all the things she could have brought….how neat is that?" Asked Amanda, impressed. "So random." She mused.

The Doctor silently agreed and they both couldn't help but chuckle at what Cassandra said next. It was so funny how history could become so distorted.

"Legend says it had a wingspan of fifty feet and blew fire from its nostrils." She said dramatically. She then laughed and added. "Or was that my third husband?" She chuckled. "Who knows?"

Everyone laughed politely at her joke except Rose. The poor girl still couldn't seem to wrap her mind around the idea of Cassandra.

"Oh, don't laugh. I'll get laughter lines. Oh! Stop. Oh! Have mercy." Cassandra tried to stop herself from smiling too much.

Amanda turned to the Doctor with a big grin as she continued to giggle.

"This is so great!" She said excitedly.

She gave him a side hug. He smiled at her happiness and put his arm around her shoulder as they continued to watch the spectacle before them while simultaneously keeping an eye on the reaction of their companion. Next, a few more workers appeared, pushing in an old juke box. Amanda squealed and bounced in place excitedly. She loved those things.

"And here, another rarity." Offered Cassandra. "According to the archives, this was called an iPod."

The rest of the room 'Ooohed' and 'Aaahhed' in appreciation of the strange device. Rose looked back at her friends with a face that said 'she can't be serious', but they just shrugged their shoulders nonchalantly and smiled. This only agitated her more. Cassandra went on to explain about the machine.

"It stores classical music from some of humanity's greatest composers. Play on." She commanded.

One of the blue workers pressed a button and a record lowered onto the spinner. To Amanda's great delight, "Tainted Love" by 'Soft Cell' started to play and she shouted happily.

"I love this song!"

She stepped away from the Doctor who was also smiling and the two of them started to do a little jig, getting into the music.

"_**Refreshments will now be served. Earth Death in thirty minutes." **_Announced the steward.

The room sprung back into action as everyone started to mingle again while the music continued to play in the background. Rose watched as the aliens talked and laughed with one another and she started to feel very overwhelmed. She was surrounded by strange creatures in a strange place and she just needed to get away for a moment. She ran from the room in distress. Amanda was about to chase after her to make sure she was okay but the Doctor stopped her. She looked up at him in confusion.

"She's just overstimulated." He explained. "We'll just give her a moment to collect herself and check on her later. Don't worry; she can't get into any trouble here."

"Okay. If you're sure." She questioned. He nodded so she brushed it off. "In that case…I'm thirsty. I think I'll just go snag myself something to drink and have a chat with The Face Of Boe. He seems interesting. Do you want anything?" She asked him.

"Naw, you go have fun." He said and smiled at her enthusiasm.

She skipped away and grabbed a bright, fizzing, orange-ish drink that tasted strangely like a dream-cicle (orange sherbet coated vanilla ice cream) and raspberry pop-rocks. It was good though and not as thick as it looked, nor as sweet as it sounded. But refreshing. Then she slowly made her way over to The Face's tank, trying to figure out what they would even talk about. Just before she reached him, Jabe called out to her.

"Excuse me?" Jabe asked.

Amanda looked at her and Jabe snapped what Amanda assumed to be a photo with an odd looking hand-held that made bird noises.

"Thank you." Said Jabe.

"No problem." Responded Amanda.

Both women nodded to each other with friendly smiles before going their separate ways.

"**She just scanned you."** came a slow, deep, soothing voice in Amanda's head.

She turned around, coming face to—'_Face_' with the creature she'd sought out. She grinned at him.

"Telepathy?" She asked.

He nodded in response and she could vaguely hear a deep chuckle in the back of her head.

"Nice! But, what did you mean? Why did she scan me?" She asked, concerned.

"**She was curious about what you are."** He replied.

Amanda came closer and sat down in front of his tank with a sigh.

"Well, that's sort of rude, being sneaky like that. She could have just asked. I'm human…just don't tell Cassandra that." She smirked and they both chuckled. Amanda then became serious. "I'm sorry, but, do you—do you know me? I know it's a weird question, but I look at you and I don't know, I just….." She trailed off.

She felt something run down her cheek and she brought her hand up to wipe it away. Looking down at her hand, she saw that it was a tear and frowned in confusion.

"**Are you sad, child?"** He asked her in concern.

"Honestly? I don't know." She let out a shaky laugh. "I know it sounds strange, but I don't know why I did that. Was it in sadness or joy…..I just…I haven't got a clue." She let out another humorless laugh and shook her head. "I'm sorry."

"**There is nothing to be sorry for."** He assured her. **"And you are right…..you don't know me **_**yet**_**, but I do know you."**

Amanda smirked at what he revealed and took a sip of her drink.

"_Yet_?" She asked.

He chuckled in her head.

"**Oh, the life of a time traveler. You never do things in the right order."** He said with a sort of nostalgia as though he was reminiscing. **"Though, to be honest, I looked much different back when I first met you than I do now."**

They both chuckled at the truth of those words, but for different reasons.

"**Amanda, can you promise me something?"** He asked her, becoming serious. At her nod, he continued. **"The Doctor is a very special…..very important, man. I need you to promise me that no matter what happens, until the day you die, you will never leave his side. Promise me."**

Amanda looked at him in confusion. '_Like anyone even needs to ask._' She scoffed in her head. She then looks him in the eye, just a serious.

"May God help whatever's foolish enough to try and take that man away from me. You don't even have to ask. I will fight for his wellbeing even if it kills me. Unless he asks it of me, I will never leave or desert him…..and even then, he'll have trouble shaking me off." She declared.

He gave her a sad smile.

"**I know. And I'm sorry, but you will never stop having to prove it."**

Amanda wasn't quite sure how to take that. '_What does he know?_' She wondered.

"**I asked you once….in your future…if it was worth it, the promise you've made."** He told her.

"And what did I say?" She asked.

"**He's worth every second."** He replied with a smile.

She smiled in return and placed her hand against his tank. She may not know who he is yet, but apparently they would be great friends. This thought, for some reason, made her very happy. She suddenly whipped her head around when she heard the Doctor and smiled.

"Amanda! Come on. Let's go check on Rose. I think she ended up back at the TARDIS!" He called.

"Coming!" She called back to him and then turned back around to The Face Of Boe. "Thanks for the chat and I look forward to you meeting me." She said playfully as she stood up and ran off to catch up with her Doctor.

She could hear him laughing in her head as she left. Before she reached the Doctor, she snagged another orange drink from a tray, thinking Rose might like one too. When she met him in the middle of the room where he was waiting, they heard Jabe call out to him.

"Doctor?" She asked.

They both paused to look at the tree woman and she snapped another picture, or rather 'scanned' him and smiled. '_Rude!_' Thought Amanda, but she didn't say anything.

"Thank you." Said Jabe.

They then ran from the main room to search for their friend. The Doctor led them back the way that they had originally come from. On their way, they heard an announcement from the steward.

"_**Would the owner of the blue box in privet gallery fifteen, please report to the steward's office immediately? Guests are reminded that the use of teleportation devises is strictly forbidden under peace treaty 5.4/CUP/16. Thank you."**_

Amanda rolled her eyes in frustration.

"Oh, great." She huffed sarcastically.

Then, the computerized female voice announced…

"_**Earth Death in twenty-five minutes. Earth Death in twenty-five minutes."**_

As they approached privet gallery fifteen, where they left the TARDIS, they saw a team off the little blue workers wheeling it away. Amanda flinch as it nearly bumped into the wall.

"Oi, now. Be careful with that. Park it properly. No scratches." The Doctor commanded.

One of the little workers approached them and handed the Doctor a slip of paper with a few polite chirping noises and walked away. The Doctor read the Paper and scoffed, showing it to Amanda. It was a valet ticket that said 'Have a nice day.' She giggled when she read it.

"I think it's cute." She said.

He rolled his eyes with a smirk and they continued on to the room.

"Of course you would." He teased.

When they reached the door, the Doctor used his sonic on it and called out.

"Rose, are you in there?"

The doors opened and the two of them walked in to see her sitting on the top bleacher seat looking calm but depressed.

"Aye-Aye." The Doctor greeted her with a cheerful smile.

He sat down on the top bleacher seat, opposite the one Rose was on and Amanda sat on the stairs next to him. They both smile at Rose expectantly and Amanda held out the drink to her.

"Oh, ya! I brought this for you. I know it looks a little weird, but it actually tastes really great!"

She smiled when Rose took a sip and seemed to enjoy it. '_Score, one for me!_' She thought.

"So…what do you think?" Amanda asked, gesturing around the room to indicate Rose's first trip. "Even got yourself a few souvenirs."

She and the Doctor were waiting excitedly to hear what Rose thought, now that she'd had a moment to adjust.

"Great. Yeah. Fine." Rose replied a bit too quickly. "Once you get past the slightly…..psychic paper." She joked and they all chuckled and Rose went silent for a moment. Then she finally said what was on her mind. "They're just so….alien. The aliens are so alien. You look at them and they're alien."

"Good thing I didn't take you to the deep south." Said the Doctor.

Amanda giggled at his joke but sobered when she saw the look on Rose's face.

"Where are you from?" Asked Rose.

"All over the place." He replied dismissively.

'_Oh, crap._' Amanda thought with a sigh.

"They all speak English." Said Rose, confused.

Amanda, glad for the topic change, latched on quickly in hopes to defuse the situation and replied excitedly.

"No, you just hear English. It's a gift of the TARDIS. The telepathic field gets inside your brain, translates!" She tried to explain.

Instead of the amazed response they were expecting, Rose looked at them very upset, verging on angry.

"It's inside my brain?" She asked.

"Well, in a good way." The Doctor tried to reassure her.

Rose was just getting even more upset.

"Your machine gets inside my head. It gets inside and it changes my mind, and you didn't even ask?"

"I didn't think about it like that." He shrugged it off.

"No, you were too busy thinking up cheap shots about the Deep South." She snapped. "Who are _you_, then, Doctor? What are you called? What sort of alien are _you_?"

'_No, no, No, NO!_' Amanda growled in her head.

"I'm just the Doctor." He replied, trying to hide his annoyance.

"From what planet." She asked, clearly not letting it go.

"Well, it's not as if you'd know where it is." He huffed indignantly.

"Where are you from?" She demanded.

"What does it matter?" He asked, exasperated.

"Tell me who you are." Rose insisted.

Both of them were surprised when Amanda snapped at her.

"This is who he is, right here, right now, all right! All that counts is right here and right now and this is him!" She shouted.

"Yeah, and I'm here too, because you two brought me here, so just tell me!" Rose shouted back.

Amanda jumped up angrily and went down to the observation window to calm down, shoving her hands in her pockets as she stared at the approaching raise of the sun. She sighed, it was still so beautiful. The Doctor got up, all be it, more calmly and walked down to place his hands on her shoulders to make sure that she _did_ calm down. He gave them a light squeeze and she leaned back against him in reassurance.

"_**Earth Death in twenty minutes. Earth Death in twenty minutes."**_

Rose sighed in defeat. The Doctor didn't want to talk about it for some reason and clearly, Amanda wasn't going to let anyone force it out of him. Besides, they were her only ride home and she really _did_ want to be friends with them. She started to walk down the stairs towards them.

"All right." She said calmly. "As my mate Shareen says, don't argue with the designated driver." She tried to joke, lightly, making the others smirk. "Can't exactly call for a taxi—" She held up her phone. "—there's no signal. We're out of range….just a bit." She added sarcastically.

The Doctor appreciated the effort she was making to try and lighten the tension. He reached out and indicated for her to hand him her phone.

"Tell you what. With a little bit of Jiggery Pokery…."

He took the back off her phone and removed the battery.

"Is that a technical term, 'Jiggery Pokery'?" Rose teased.

"Yeah, I came first in 'Jiggery Pokery'. What about you?" He challenged.

"No, I failed 'Hullabaloo'." She answered playfully.

"Aw, well…." He joked.

He then replaced the battery with a different, more advanced one. Finally, he put the backing back on, punched in a code, and handed it over to her so she could try it out.

"There you go." He said smugly.

Rose hesitantly took back her phone and opened her contact list to her Mum's number to press 'call'. She looked shocked when she heard it ringing and awed when she heard the voice of her mother on the other end. She stepped away slightly too briefly talk to her.

The Doctor looked back to Amanda, who now had a look of sadness and longing on her face as she watched Rose. He walked over to her and pulled her into a comforting hug. She buried her face in his shoulder as he rubbed soothing circles on her back and whispered to her.

"You know I'd gladly do that for you in a heartbeat if I could." He told her.

"But you can't. I know. We've already tried." She sighed.

And they had. Just a few days after they'd met and Amanda had finally gotten up the courage to try. The Doctor did the same thing to her phone, but apparently, no one in her contacts list existed. They even traveled to The States in 2012, just to make absolutely sure, but received the same results. She was actually glad at the time. Even if she could call someone, it would have been like talking to a stranger.

"Besides, _you_ deserve it more than I do." She added.

The Doctor stared down at the top of her head, curiously. '_What does she know?_' He wondered. He thought about the way she defended him a moment ago. Did she know who he was, with that yet to be understood way she just seemed to know things. Was it possible? He let that thought go for later. They pulled apart just in time to catch the last bit of Rose's conversation.

"I-I was just calling because I might be late home." There was a pause as her mum responded. "No. I'm-I'm fine." She reassured her, and then added jokingly. "Top of the world."

Amanda and the Doctor both chuckled behind her as she ended the conversation. She turned to them with that look of complete awe still on her face.

"Think that's amazing? You wait to see the bill." The Doctor told her, only semi-joking.

"That was five billion years ago." Rose confirmed to herself out loud. "She's dead now. Five billion years later, my mum's dead."

"Bundle of laughs, you are." Amanda teased sarcastically.

The three of them were suddenly jostled when the entire observation deck shook for a second.

The Doctor grinned at them curiously.

"That's not supposed to happen." He said.

They glanced at each other for a moment before they all grinned and ran back towards the Manchester Suite.

"_**All guests may be reassured that gravity pockets may cause slight turbulence. Thanking you."**_ came the steward's calm voice over the sound system.

When they got there, The Doctor went up to the wall-panel by the door to examine the computer systems.

"That wasn't a gravity pocket. I know gravity pockets and they don't feel like that." He told them. "Amanda, remember that time we were stuck in that skiff around Delta Nine?" He asked her.

She easily remembered that little mishap. It was the Doctor's fault. He had accidentally (at least he said it was accidentally, she could never be sure) insulted the pilot's mother.

"Oh, yeah, big difference." She agreed.

"What do you think Jabe?" He asked as the tree woman approached them from behind. "Listen to the engines. They've pitched up about thirty hertz, is that dodgy or what?"

Jabe smiled in good humor but lightly shrugged her shoulders in obvious confusion.

"It's the sound of metal. It doesn't make any sense to me." She replied.

"Where's the engine room?" He asked her.

"I don't know." She said in thought. "But the maintenance duct is just behind our guest's suite—"

Amanda walked away for a moment to leave both hers and Rose's empty drink glasses on the tray of a nearby worker who was collecting them and thanked him (or '_her_' for all she knew) for doing such an excellent job. When she got back to the group, she'd apparently missed something important because Rose was clearly offended.

"Whatever I am, I must be invisible. Do you mind?" She snapped, mainly at Jabe.

Amanda sent the Doctor a questioning look, but he shook his head for her to never mind.

"Tell you what—you two go and pollinate, I'm going to catch up with the family—quick word with Michael Jackson." She huffed in agitation, gesturing to Cassandra.

Amanda knew she was upset about something, but she could help but let out a slight chuckle at her last comment. Rose started to walk away and Amanda called out to her in mock warning.

"Don't start a fight."

Rose turned to her and asked.

"What about you?"

Amanda responded with a mischievous smirk.

"I think I'll join in on the pollination. Besides, I can't leave him alone with a stranger and unguarded access to the inner-workings of anything for even a minute. He'd just end up breaking something, trying to show-off." She teased with a wink.

The Doctor had been grinning at her flirtations at first, but gave her a friendly shove and a mock glare at that last remark.

"Would not." He defended himself.

"Oh please." She scoffed with a teasing smile. "You and I both know that it would be inevitable."

They stared at each other for a moment as if challenging the other to blink first, before the both grinned and chuckled. Rose laughed at them while Jabe looked on in curiosity as they playfully bantered back-and-forth and wondered what they were to each other.

"So is she—" Jabe was about to ask the Doctor, but was cut off by Rose (to the Doctor's relief).

"I'll just stop you right there then. Trust me; she won't be as nice about it as I was." Rose warned her.

Jabe took the hint and let it go. Amanda looked at the three of them in confusion.

"What—" She tried to ask, but was cut off by the Doctor who was holding out an arm to either side of him like a gentleman for her and Jabe to grasp on to.

"Right, ladies, looks like I'm all yours." He said as he led them away.

Amanda and the Doctor both smiled back at Rose when they heard her jokingly call out to them like a worried mother.

"And I want the two of you home by midnight."

"_**Earth Death in fifteen minutes. Earth Death in fifteen minutes."**_

Amanda smirked, and called back over her shoulder playfully, earning a chuckle from the Doctor.

"No promises!"

The three of them (the Doctor, Amanda, and Jabe) walked down the corridor a ways until they reached a door that read 'Maintenance Duct: Staff Only' which the Doctor opened for them using his sonic screwdriver.

"Who's in charge of Platform One? Has it got a captain or what?" Amanda asked.

"There's just the steward and the staff. All the rest is controlled by the metal mind." Answered Jabe.

'_Metal mind….how cute._' Thought Amanda.

"You mean the computer? Well, who controls that?" She asked.

"The corporation. They move Platform One from one artistic event to another." Jabe explained.

"But there's no one from the corporation on board." Amanda clarified.

"They're not needed. This facility is purely automatic. It's the height of the Alfa Class. Nothing could possibly go wrong." She assured them.

This sent up a red flag in Amanda's mind.

"Oh, she just had to say it. And now we're doomed." Amanda whispered mock dramatically so only the Doctor could hear.

He grinned back at her and then asked Jabe.

"Unsinkable?"

Jabe, not fully understand what the Doctor was implying, answered in the affirmative, trying to be helpful.

"If you'd like—the nautical metaphor is appropriate."

"You're telling me—I was on board another ship once. They said that was unsinkable. I ended up clinging to an iceberg. It wasn't half cold." He told them.

Amanda smiled in longing.

"Oh, I would have loved to have seen the Titanic before that unfortunate tragedy. I bet she was beautiful." She sighed looking at the Doctor for confirmation.

He nodded in the affirmative. He would gladly take her to see it later, if he hadn't already been. He had explained to her once about the dangers of crossing your own time-stream so she wouldn't even bother to ask.

"So," Amanda asked Jabe, just to double check that she understood the situation. "What you're saying is, if we get in trouble, there's no one to help us out?"

"I'm afraid not." Jabe admitted.

There was a two second pause before Amanda Grinned and said…

"Fantastic."

Jabe looked at the girl in confusion as if Amanda was crazy.

"I'm sorry, but in what way is that 'fantastic'?" She asked.

Amanda looked down at the ground sheepishly.

"Yeah, sorry. I know it's horrible of me, and things don't always turn out the way we want them too, but I can't help it. I just love to watch the Doctor do his thing. He's really good at 'helping'."

Amanda chance a look at them. The Doctor had on his signature 'cheeky-grin' and Jabe looked thoughtful, still not fully grasping what she meant. They continued to walk a little farther before the Doctor spoke up again.

"So tell me Jabe, what's a Tree like _you_ doing in a place like _this_?" He asked.

"Respect for the earth." She replied, sincerely.

"Oh, come on. Everyone on this platform's worth zillions." Amanda scoffed.

"Well, perhaps it's a case of having to be seen at the right occasions." She offered.

"In case your share prices drop?" The Doctor teased. "I know you lot—you've got massive forests everywhere, roots everywhere, and there's always money in land."

"All the same—we respect the earth as family." She explained. "So many species evolved from that planet. Mankind is only one. I'm another. My ancestors were transplanted from the planet down below, and I'm a direct descendent of The Tropical Rainforest." She stated proudly.

"Oh, now that is just to cool. Are you really?" Amanda asked.

Jabe nodded a 'yes' and smiled at the girl's affirmation.

"Excuse me." Pardoned the Doctor as he squeezed through them with his sonic screwdriver to get the panel to unlock a door for them.

Apparently they had finally reached their destination. Hesitantly, Jabe brought up something that had been bugging her ever sense she had scanned them earlier.

"And what about your ancestry, Doctor? Perhaps you could tell a story or two. Perhaps a man only enjoys trouble when there's nothing else left." She then looked to Amanda. "I don't even know where to begin with you, nor what to think." Neither of them acknowledged her comments, so she continued. "I scanned you both earlier." She turned to the Doctor. "The metal machine had trouble identifying your species. It refused to admit your existence. And even when it named you, I wouldn't believe it. But it _was_ right. I know where you're from. Forgive me for intruding, but it's remarkable that you even exist." She was in awe. "I just wanted to say….how sorry I am." She said sincerely, placing her delicate wooden hand on his arm for comfort.

Amanda was trying to keep her breathing level while forcing herself not to cry. She _did_ know who the Doctor was. Not everything, but she knew enough to understand why speaking of it would make him sad. She had figured part of it out back when they first met. During her 'twelve hours' she had had a dream about him. His planet was burning and his people were screaming and he was just so sad. He was the last. Yet, despite the hell he went through, he just keeps going, finding joy in the little things. That was why Amanda admired him so much. And even though she wasn't the last of her kind, she was still so alone. All she has is the Doctor. That's why she tries so hard to keep him happy…to see him smile. His tragedy is so much worse than her own, so if he can stay strong, she'd be dammed if she couldn't be too.

Amanda looked over to see the Doctor place his hand on top of Jabe's in thanks and caught the sight of a single tear mark a trail down his cheek. He then shook himself out of the moment and refocused his attention back to getting the door open. This left Jabe to now turn her attention to Amanda.

"The scanner had trouble with you as well, you know. You are 'pure' human, yes, which is strange in itself sense Cassandra is supposed to be the last, but there was something…wrong." She said, catching Amanda's full attention. "The machine doesn't register you as '_real_', as if you're not meant to be. You're an anomaly. I'm sorry, but I can't really explain it…"Jabe apologized.

"It's okay. I-I don't actually want to know. Don't worry about it." Amanda told her, trying to just brush it away.

That, of course, wasn't true. It freighted her to no end and the Doctor knew this. She was so confused and it frustrated her. But now was not the time to worry about it.

The door opened and they walked through to a ginormous room. It had two platforms, the one that they were standing on and another that was across the room, on the far side. The only thing that connected them was a long, bridge-like pathway with no railings that was blocked by the slowly turning blades of three industrial sized fans. Below them was a long, deadly drop.

"Is it me, or is it a bit nippy?" joked the Doctor.

And it _was_ a bit cold, if you stopped to notice. Platform One, apparently, had an excellent air-conditioning unit.

"Fair dos, though, that's a great bit of air conditioning." He added… vocalizing Amanda's thoughts. "Sort of nice and old-fashioned. Bet they call it 'retro'."

'Old school!' Amanda corrected in her head.

The Doctor used his sonic screwdriver to scan another section of paneling and proceeded to pull it off the wall wen something sparked his interest.

"Gotcha." He said triumphantly.

When he pulled it off, a small metal creature crawled out and scuttled over to a wall that it quickly started to climb. It had a roundish body with a little red light for an eye of sorts and four wiry legs. It reminded Amanda of those little water spiders you see in swarms on the surfaces of rivers and ponds. The little bugger was fast too.

"What the hell is that?" Amanda asked.

"Is it part of the 'retro'?" Asked Jabe.

"I don't think so." Said the Doctor. "Hold on."

He aimed his screwdriver at it and tried a couple settings, but it wasn't working. Then, out of nowhere, Jabe shot out a sort of vine-whip from up her sleeves and knocked it down, affectively stunning it. The Doctor caught it just before it hit the ground.

"Hey, nice liana." The Doctor complimented her, obviously impressed.

"How nifty is that?" Amanda agreed.

"Thank you." Jabe blushed with pride (as far as one could tell her having bark for skin and all). "We're not supposed to show them in public." She told them with a mischievous smile.

"Don't worry, we won't tell anyone." Amanda assured her with a friendly grin.

The Doctor nodded in agreement. Amanda was really starting to like Jabe. She could be fun, when she relaxed a bit.

"Now then, who's been bringing their pets on board." The Doctor asked no one in particular.

"What does it do?" Asked Jabe.

"I'm thinkin' sabotage." Guessed Amanda.

The Doctor nodded in concordance.

"_**Earth Death in ten minutes. Earth Death in ten minutes."**_

"And the temperature's about to rocket. Come on." The Doctor said in response to the announcement as he led them away.

"Oh, crap." Amanda groaned and trailed after him. "I hate extreme heat."

As they were making their way to the steward's office to inform him of the situation, another song began to play from the 'iPod' for the whole Platform to hear. It was 'Toxic' by Britney Spears. Amanda groaned again in annoyance.

"Okay, now _this_ song, I am not a fan of." She told them.

The Doctor smirked. Then, they noticed smoke coming from around the corner and as they got closer, they could hear a warning siren. They rushed forward to see a group of the little blue workers gathered around the steward's door, chirping in distress.

"Hold on. Get back." Ordered the Doctor.

He quickly jumped over to the panel to check the computer systems. Amanda watched from over his shoulder while Jabe stood off to the side trying to comfort the little blue people like they were children.

"_**Sun filter rising. Sun filter rising."**_ came the computer's voice.

"Is the steward in there?" Asked Jabe in horror.

"You can smell him. Hold on." Replied the Doctor.

Amanda wrinkled her nose in disgust. '_Who would do something so cruel?_' She wondered in anger.

"Hold on. There's another sun filter programed to descend." The Doctor said in panic before he ran off with Amanda at his heels.

Meanwhile, in Privet Gallery Fifteen, Rose was waking up dazed and confused, just in time to hear a computer's voice say…

"_**Sun filter descending. Sun filter descending."**_

She looked to the window and saw that a layer was slowly lowering, letting the harsh raise of the sun come into the room. Quickly, she ran up to the door only to find that it wouldn't open. Rose became frantic and started to pound her fists against the door while screaming for help.

"_**Sun filter descending. Sun filter descending." **_ The computer kept repeating in the background.

"Let me out! Let me out!" Rose cried in desperation.

The Doctor and Amanda came running around the corner to hear pounding from the other side of the door and the warning siren.

"_**Sun filter descending. Sun filter descending."**_

The Doctor stopped at the door panel and aimed the screwdriver at it.

"Anyone in there?" Amanda called through the door.

"LET ME OUT!" came the cry of Rose's voice.

"Oh, it would be you." Scoffed the Doctor in exasperation.

Amanda rolled her eyes in frustration at him.

"You just had to say that there was no way for her to get into trouble here, didn't you." She accused.

The Doctor rushed to get the computer to reverse its programing.

"OPEN THE DOOR!" Yelled Rose in panic.

"Hold on. Give us two ticks." Said the Doctor calmly.

"_**Sun filter descending. Sun filter descending…Sun filter rising. Sun filter rising."**_

They all sighed in relief. Amanda patted the Doctor on the back for a job well done.

"_**Sun filter rising. Sun filter rising… Sun filter descending. Sun filter descending…"**_

"Shit!" Yelped Amanda.

"This is just what we need." The Doctor said sarcastically. "The computer's getting clever."

To level the playing field, the Doctor ripped the paneling off the wall and dove straight for the wiring beneath.

"Stop mucking about!" Rose cried.

Amanda was really starting to worry as to whether or not Rose would be safe and she felt helpless because there wasn't really anything she could do.

"I'm not mucking about. It's fighting back."

Suddenly, Amanda became lost in her own mind for a moment as she saw Jabe burning. She was screaming and the Doctor was sad, so, so sad. '_What is this?_' Amanda thought in panic. She was brought back to the situation in front of her when she heard the computer's warning change again and quickly wiped away a tear that had escaped before the Doctor could see.

"_**Sun filter descending…Sun filter rising. Sun filter rising. Sun filter rising…"**_

The Doctor rushed over to the door to open it, but it was no good. The heat from the sun melted the locks.

"The whole thing's jammed. I can't open the door." He apologized. "Stay there. Don't go anywhere."

"Where am I going to go, Ipswich? Rose asked sarcastically.

"_**Earth Death in five minutes. Earth Death in five minutes."**_

Amanda and the Doctor ran as fast as they could all the way back to the Manchester Suite. They arrived just in time to hear Jabe inform everyone about what they found.

"The spiders have infiltrated the whole of Platform One." She explained.

"How's that possible? Our privet rooms are protected by a code wall." Asked Cassandra in disbelief. "Moisturize me. Moisturize me."

The Doctor took the Spider from Jabe to reactivate it.

"Summon the steward." Demanded The Moxx.

"I'm afraid the steward's dead." Amanda informed them apologetically.

As expected, there were gasps of alarm and mummers of outrage and fear throughout the room.

"Who killed him?" Asked The Moxx.

"This whole event was sponsored by The Face Of Boe." Cassandra accused. "He invited us. Talk to The Face. Talk to The Face"

The Face Of Boe shook from side to side trying to tell everyone that he was innocent.

"Shut it, skin flap!" Amanda snapped angrily. "Excuse the choice of phrasing, but don't just go around, pointing fingers at people when you don't even know what you're talking about." Amanda growled.

Cassandra glared at her and then the Doctor caught everyone's attention when he held up the reactivated spider. He smirked at Amanda.

"Easy way of finding out. Someone brought their little pet on board." He assured her and set the spider on the ground. "Let's send it back to master."

The spider scuttled across the floor, searching, and then paused in front of Cassandra for a second. She did a twitchy movement with her eyes and it moved away to stop at the feet of The Repeated Meme, staying put.

"Please tell me you caught that?" Amanda whispered to the Doctor.

"Yep." He whispered back.

The room gasped when the spider labeled The Meme as its masters.

"The Adherents Of The Repeated Meme. J'accuse!" Gasped Cassandra.

The Doctor strolled leisurely across the room towards the group of Meme.

"That's all very well, and really, kind of obvious." He drawled. "But if you stop and think about it….." He stopped in front of the head Meme.

The hooded figure went to hit the Doctor making Amanda flinch, but she smiled when he caught its arm and ripped it off, continuing his little speech as if he hadn't been interrupted.

"….A repeated meme is just an idea. And that's all they are—" He pulled out a few wires from the arm. "An idea." The Meme all fell to the ground with a sigh and several sparks. "Remote-control droids." He pointed out. "Nice little cover for the real troublemaker."

Amanda gave the spider a light shove with the toe of her shoe. "Go on, Jimbo. Go home." She instructed it, sweetly.

The spider went back to Cassandra who was looking very put-off.

"I bet you were the school swot and never got kissed." She taunted.

Amanda leaned over to the Doctor.

"Is she talking to me or you?" She asked him playfully.

"Doesn't matter." Said Cassandra. "At arms!" She commanded her attendants who aimed their sprayers at them.

"What are you going to do, moisturize us?" Asked the Doctor sarcastically.

"With acid." Smirked Cassandra.

The Doctor stepped slightly in front of Amanda with a frown. He was already upset and Cassandra was only making it worse for herself.

"Oh, you're too late, anyway." Cassandra said as if she was bored. "My spiders have control of the mainframe." Her voice became smug. "Oh, you all carried them as gifts, tax-free, past every code wall. I'm not just a pretty face."

"Sabotaging a ship while you're still inside it—how stupid's that?" The Doctor asked.

"I'd hoped to manufacture a hostage situation, with myself as one of the victims. The compensation would have been enormous." She explained.

Amanda rolled her eyes and turned to the Doctor with a look that said 'is she kidding me'…

"Five billion years, and it still comes down to money…My own race really irks me sometimes." She gave herself a face-palm. "Honestly. What the hell?" She asked Cassandra, sounding tired.

"Do you think it's cheap, looking like this? Flatness coasts a fortune." Cassandra responded indignantly.

Amanda rested her forehead against the Doctor's arm, sad and defeated by the woman's blatant greediness.

"I give up." Amanda sighed in exasperation. "She makes me want to cry. The 'last' human. What a disappointment."

The Doctor frowned At Cassandra. He agreed; she really was a disappointment. He rapped an arm around Amanda and squeezes her shoulder.

"I _am_ the last human, Doctor, _me_…. Not that blond girl or _this_ little freak of yours." Snapped Cassandra.

'_Who's she calling a freak?_' Amanda growled in her head.

The Doctor didn't look very happy either.

"Arrest her! The infidel." Demanded The Moxx.

There were murmurs of agreement throughout the room.

"Oh, shut it, Pixie!" Growled Cassandra. "I've still got my final option."

"_**Earth Death in three minutes. Earth Death in three minutes."**_

Cassandra became smug again.

"And here it comes. You're just as useful dead, all of you. I have shares in your rival companies; they'll triple in price as soon as you're dead. My spiders are primed and ready to destroy the safety systems. How did that old earth song go?" She asked mockingly. Then she said, with a malicious grin. "Burn, baby, burn."

Amanda was pissed now and it showed on her face. She grabbed the Doctor's hand and squeezed it tightly. She wanted to say a retort, but before she could, Jabe beat her to it.

"Then you'll burn with us." She snapped.

"Oh, I'm so sorry." Cassandra teased. "I know the use of teleportation is strictly forbidden, but…..I'm such a naughty thing." She chuckled, and then added in a commanding tone. "Spiders activate."

The place shook as several tiny explosions set off around the Platform station. Cassandra laughed at everyone's fear and became teasing again.

"Force fields gone, with the planet about to explode. At least it will be quick, just like my fifth husband." She giggled at her own joke, but nobody joined her this time. "Oh, shame on me."

An alarm went off and the two men in white rejoined their mistress.

"_**Safety systems failing…Safety systems failing..."**_

"Bye-bye, darlings." Cassandra cooed to the room in a patronizing voice. "Bye-bye, my darlings."

She teleported away to safety with her two attendants and everyone in the room began to panic.

"_**Heat levels rising… Heat levels rising…"**_

"Reset the Computer!" Demanded The Moxx.

"Only the steward would know how." Countered Jabe, sadly.

The despair in Jabes voice brought back to Amanda, glimpses of the strange image she saw earlier, but she shook it away, trying to focus on the here and now.

"No, we can do it by hand." Said the Doctor, confidently. "There must be a system-restore switch. Amanda, Jabe, come on. We're going back to the maintenance duct." He said to the girls. "You lot, just chill." He said jokingly to the crowd.

He had said the last part in an attempt to make Amanda smile, but instead, her eye's widened in fear.

"No, Doctor! Jabe can't come!" She shouted.

He wasn't really listening. He was in his 'save the day' zone.

"We don't really have time for this, come on." He ushered them.

But Amanda stood her ground. Even if what she saw meant nothing…it was better to be safe than sorry.

"NO, DOCTOR!" She shouted, getting his attention. Then softer, but still urgently she continued. "You heard the computer. The heat levels are rising. Those fans will be spinning faster, trying to cool down the platform, pushing the cool air out of that room and sucking the heat in. Please Doctor…" She tried to communicate the severity of her words to him with her eyes. And in an even softer voice meant only for him… "She's going to burn, Doctor."

The Doctor heard her sincerity and saw both the urgency and sadness in her eyes. He knew that she might '_know_' and he couldn't risk it if she was right.

"I'm sorry Jabe. You have to stay here." He Said.

Jabe wanted to protest but he wouldn't let her.

"She's right, the heat levels are rising and you're made of wood. We'll be back soon."

And with that, Amanda sighed in relief as she and the Doctor ran as fast as they could to the maintenance duct. When they got there, they wasted no time heading back to the room from before and sure enough, the fans were spinning faster.

"_**Earth Death in two minutes…Earth Death in two minutes….Heat levels critical…"**_

"Oh. And guess where the switch is." The Doctor said, sarcastically.

Of course, just their luck. The switch was on the opposite platform, but the fans were moving too fast to try and dodge. The Doctor saw another switch on our side and quickly ran over to pull it down. They both smiled when it caused the fans to slow down enough to cross safely, but when the Doctor let go, it flicked back up on its own and the fans sped back up.

"_**The external temperature is five thousand degrees."**_

The Doctor became exasperated, but before he could try to figure out another way, the fans slowed down again. In confusion, he turned around to see Amanda holding down the switch. The Doctor was worried for her.

"You can't. With those fans moving slower, the heat's going to vent through this place, just like you said." He warned her.

She just smirked at him.

"I know."

He huffed in frustration.

"Don't be stupid! You might not be made of wood, but you're not heat-resistant either." He cried.

Amanda smiled at him softly now, almost lovingly.

"Then stop wasting time, _Time Lord._"

He gasped in surprise, and then smiled back at her. '_She does know something._' He thought. Doing as she asked, he turned back to the first fan, waited for the right moment and moved past it.

When he had turned away from her, Amanda's smile dropped and she gasped. She didn't want him to know, but the heat was already affecting her. She took in a shaky breath and tried to just concentrate on holding down the switch.

"How long have you known?" The Doctor called back to her, making his way to the next fan.

"Sense my twelve hours. While I was sleeping off my cry….I sort of dreamt about you. I don't know everything and most of it drifted away when I woke up. But I remember the most important parts…You're from Gallifray, you're a Time Lord, and-and you're the last." Her voice became softer towards the end.

The Doctor sighed and passed through the next fan. Two steps later, the fans sped up again. He was about to turn around, when Amanda called out to him.

"Sorry, hold on just a sec! Whatever you do, don't turn around until I say you can! Got it?"

"Why?" He asked her, concerned.

Amanda blushed, but explained anyways.

"This switch is metal. The heat was starting to make it burn my hands, so, I figured…..like an oven mitt….I'm using my shirt as a buffer for my hands! It's the only thing I have to use, so, yeah…LOOK, JUST DON'T TURN AROUND OKAY?" She shouted in embarrassment.

"Right, gotcha!" He replied.

He waited a few seconds and the fans slowed down again, so he started to move forward. If he had looked back, he would have seen how poorly Amanda was holding up. Her skin was red and blotchy, she was sweating like mad and her limbs were starting to tremor. She refused to give up though. People were counting on them. Rose, Jabe, The Face Of Boe…. They couldn't let them down. The Doctor was at the last fan when they heard the computer counting down. He had to hurry.

"_**Planet explodes in…10…9…8…7…6…5…4…."**_

The Doctor made it through the last fan and ran to the switch, just before the counter hit '1', and pulled it down, shouting excitedly.

"Raise shields!" He laughed in triumph. "Amanda, we did it! Ha! Can I turn around now?"

There was no response.

"Amanda?" He tried again, but still nothing.

He turned around to face Amanda and his smile fell as he watched her collapse to the ground, breathing heavily. His hearts clenched, and as quickly as he could, he moved back through the fans and knelt down next to her. He lifted up her head and she opened her eyes, looking up at him dizzily. She smiled when she realized it was him.

"We did it!" She said softly, tiredly. "The Doctor and Amanda, Heroes Extraordinaire. We saved the day."

She giggled, a little disoriented. He smiled down at her. He knew she would be okay in a few minutes. He just needed to get her to a cooler room and have someone fetch her some water.

"Yeah, we did it." He Confirmed.

She then sent him a mock glare.

"Think you could let me put my shirt back on now?" She asked him teasingly.

"Right! Sorry." He laughed as he handed it to her and helped her pull it down seeing as her arms were still shaky.

When she looked down at it, she groaned. There were a few small holes here and there where the metal had burned through the fabric. '_I really liked this shirt, darn it!_' she wined in her head.

He pulled her to her feet and the two of them started to make their way back to the Manchester Suite. Amanda had to lean against him for a while. As they walked, she thought now would be as good a time as any.

"I'm sorry Doctor."

"For what?" He asked.

"For not telling you sooner. When I woke up, I had wanted to talk to you about it. About the dream….I actually woke up crying….it was so sad. I saw your planet burning, your people were screaming, there was so much pain, and you— you were crying. When I woke up, I felt…I don't know. I wanted to talk to you. I was curious and confused, but, then I remembered your reaction to me knowing about the TARDIS, and we were strangers… I thought perhaps I should wait until we got to know each other better. So, I washed my face, put on a smile, and came out to start our adventures. Then I did it again, with your sonic screwdriver, you had that same reaction. I just kept putting it off. You and me…we were having so much fun…I didn't want to ruin it. I kept telling myself that it didn't matter and you would open up when you were ready…." She trailed off. "It's getting worse, or stronger, how ever I'm supposed to take this…this thing I can do. At first, besides the dreams that fade as soon as I wake, it was just naming things. Now, it's feelings and emotions and…..I saw her, Jabe, I saw her burn and again, you were so sad. I didn't know what it meant at the time but then all of this…I just couldn't let it happen…I thought...….….."She trailed off again.

They were silent for a moment; the Doctor was absorbing the information. Amanda, feeling that she could walk more on her own now, eased up on the leaning a bit, but not fully.

"So, if none of this happened, everything in the past half hour, would you have ever told me?" He asked.

She thought about this for a moment.

"I'd like to think that I would, that you and me….Yes. Yes I would have, eventually. And someday, we'll sit down and we'll talk about it…properly…we'll figure it all out. But not until you're ready." She assured him. Then, jokingly, she added on. "You know, with all of the craziness…..I am surprisingly patient with you, Doctor."

They both chuckled. Amanda was able to walk mostly on her own now, so they picked up their pace and soon they were back with everyone else. The room was in complete disarray with bits of smoke rising here and there and the guests were all huddled in small groups, still shaken up. Some of the workers were gathered around The Moxx's chair where just a few moments ago, he had been disintegrated by the sun.

The Doctor immediately made sure that Amanda was given water and stepped away for a second in agitated thought. Jabe and Rose came over to check on her as well, Jabe bringing her a second glass of water, just to be sure that she was rehydrating. They stood with one another, watching the Doctor. He was obviously still angry about the situation and started walking over to Cassandra's _gifts_ with purpose in his stride. The girls followed after him and Rose asked…

"You all right?"

"Yeah, I'm fine. I'm full of ideas. I'm bristling with them." He said, firmly. "Idea number one—teleportation through five thousand degrees needs some kind of feed." He was picking up momentum in his determination for justice. "Idea number two—this feed must be hidden somewhere nearby." He picked up the 'ostrich egg' and cracked it open to reveille said devise. "Idea number three—if you're as clever as me, then a teleportation feed can be reversed."

Amanda came up to stand next to him when he turned the dial to bring Cassandra back. There was a shuddering noise and she reappeared, mid-sentence, minus her attendants. She was apparently gloating to someone.

"….Oh…You should have seen their little alien faces." Then she noticed where she was and who was in front of her. "Oh."

"The last human." Amanda scoffed.

Cassandra thought quickly, clearly nervous.

"So, you past my little test. Bravo. This makes you eligible to join the—'Human Club'." She offered.

This just made the Doctor and Amanda angrier.

"People have died, Cassandra. You murdered them." Amanda snapped.

With Cassandra's next snarky comment, she completely blew her 'second chance'. She lost any and all respect and/or mercy either of them may have felt towards her.

"That depends on your definition of people, and that's enough of a technicality to keep your lawyers dizzy for centuries. Take me to court, then, Doctor. And watch me smile and cry and flutter."

"-And creek?" Asked the Doctor.

Cassandra hadn't noticed yet that she was slowly drying out.

"And what?" She asked, confused.

" 'Creek'. You're creaking." Amanda reiterated.

"What?" Cassandra asked, worried now. "Ah. I-I'm drying out. Oh, sweet heavens. Moisturize me! Moisturize me! Where are my surgeons? My lovely boys! It's too hot." She panicked.

"You raised the temperature." The Doctor reminded her.

Cassandra saw Amanda take a sip of her water.

"You, girl, please, let me have your water." She commanded.

Amanda lifted the glass to her lips and slowly drained it of the water. Then, with nearly no emotion she replied.

"I'm sorry. It appears that I've run out."

"Have pity." Cassandra begged. "Moisturize me! Oh. Oh, Doctor."

Rose couldn't stand to watch her suffering. She was angry with Cassandra as well, but this was making her uncomfortable. She approached her companions and softly asked them…

"Help her."

But, just as Amanda had done, with nearly no emotion, The Doctor replied.

"Everything has it's time, and everything dies."

Cassandra's skin became flakey and blotchy, her eyes were blood-shot and her lips were cracked. The creaking grew louder as her skin pulled tighter, stretching away from the frame. Suddenly, with much strain, she cried out as everyone else watched, unable to look away.

"I'm….too….young…Aghh!"

With a damp, ripping sound, she was torn apart with bits of her flying in every direction. A piece of which, nearly hit Rose in the face, but she dodged it just in time. Amanda set her glass down on a nearby tray, grasped the Doctor's hand, and the two of them turned away, leaving the room without another word. Rose stayed behind and watched them leave.

"_**Shuttles four and six departing. This unit now closing down for maintenance."**_

By the time Amanda and The Doctor came back for Rose, they found her standing alone in the Manchester Suite, staring out the observation window. She was watching bits of the destroyed planet float by with a look of such sadness on her face. They approached her from behind and stood to either side of her. With her voice breaking, she uttered…

"The end of the Earth. It's gone. And we were too busy saving ourselves. No one saw it go. All those years, all that history, and no one was even looking. It's just…"

Her two companions looked at each other and nodded. They stepped away slightly and turned towards the door, holding out a hand each, indicating for her to take them.

"Come with us." Said Amanda.

The three of them walked back to the TARDIS and the Doctor started her up while Amanda sat next to Rose on the jump-seat with an arm wrapped around her shoulder. They were silent the whole way back to 2005. When they rematerialized, Rose got up and walked out the door to breathe the fresh air. Amanda and the Doctor followed her out and watched her reassure herself that everything was okay. Her planet and everyone she knew….it was all fine. Rose watched all the people around her, not a care in the world, any of them. Just going about their lives. Babies crying, friends' laughing…..It was as if everything she'd just witnessed had never happened, but she knew it did. It was all so surreal….to feel the ground beneath her feet.

"You think it'll last forever, people and cars and concrete. But it won't. One day it's all gone….." Said the Doctor from beside her.

"Even the sky." Amanda added, looking up from the other side of the Doctor and grasping his hand.

There was a pause for a moment before the Doctor spoke up again.

"My planet's gone." He told them (though Amanda already knew). "It's dead. It burned, like the earth. It's just rocks and dust…" Amanda squeezed his hand. "…Before its time."

"What happened?" Asked Rose.

The Doctor's grip on Amanda's hand grew tighter.

"There was a war, and we lost."

"A war with whom?" Rose continued.

But the Doctor didn't answer. Rose cleared her throat and tried a different question.

"What about your people?"

"I'm a Time Lord." He replied. "I'm the last of the Time Lords. They're all gone. I'm the only survivor. I'm left traveling on my own because there's no one else, except Amanda, and she's all on her own as well. She just appeared one day, out of nowhere. No memory and no clue as to where she came from. She and I are all each other has, well, and the TARDIS."

Amanda let go of his hand and instead, wrapped her arm around his waist, leaning her head against his side. He in turn, wrapped his arm around her shoulder.

"There's me." Rose offered them with a smile.

They smiled back at her and then the Doctor asked, seriously…

"You've seen how dangerous it is. Do you want to go home?"

They waited in anticipation while Rose thought it over, then after sniffing the air, she replied.

"I don't know. I want…..Oh, can you smell chips?"

They all chuckled.

"Yeah…yeah." Said Amanda, still giggling.

They all sniffed.

"I want chips." Rose said, very seriously.

"Me too." The Doctor grinned.

Amanda's stomach growled.

"And apparently, me as well." She laughed.

"Right, then, before you get me back in that box, chips it is, and one of you can pay." She commanded in good humor.

Amanda shook her head and the Doctor shrugged his shoulders

"We haven't got any money." He confessed.

Rose scoffed.

"Some friends you are." She said playfully and gave them a light shove. "Well, come on then, tight-wads, chips are on me."

They all started to make their way over as Amanda piped in, jokingly sarcastic, making them all laugh…

"We've only got five billion years till the shops close."

She took Rose's hand and the two of them skipped forward a bit, giggling and playfully shoving each other as the Doctor trailed behind them, watching them goof-off with a content smile on his face.

**End Of Chapter 3**

**Hope you guys enjoyed this chapter! Please review and tell me what you think!**

***No pictures for this chapter.**


	4. My Angels Of The Rift

**Here you go my lovely readers! Here's another chapter update just for you! Enjoy!**

***Major thank you(s) to **Cetacea-of-Time, sora0995, Numbah 175, Lexy Summers , Spirit of the Sky , and Taryn! **Your reviews have made me epically happy! Smiles and happy dances evry time I read them! **

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**Impossible or Just Highly Unlikely?**

_My Angels of the Rift_

*******TARDIS/Console Room*******

The TARDIS was shaking about a little rougher than usual. Trying to be nice, the Doctor was letting Rose help in manning the controls, but they were both, quickly, getting frustrated with each other. It wasn't working out as well as they'd hoped. Amanda was jumping about the console as well, helping out here and there, like usual, but now she also had to concentrate on not laughing at either of them.

"Hold that one down!" The Doctor shouted to Rose.

"I'm holding _this_ one down!" She shouted back, indicating a different button.

"Well, hold them _both_ down!" He snapped in exasperation.

"I got it." Amanda said calmly and held down the other button for Rose.

"It's not going to work!" Rose huffed in annoyance.

"Oi! I promised you a time machine, and that's what you're getting." The Doctor shouted as he turned a nob and pulled on a lever. "Now, you've seen the future. Let's have a look at the past. 1860. How does 1860 sound?" He suggested.

"What happens in 1860?" Rose asked.

"I don't know. Let's find out. Hold on. Here we go." He replied with a silly grin.

They all grabbed hold of something as they continued shake about.

"Wwooo!" Amanda hollered in excitement.

The TARDIS rematerialized in a snow-covered alleyway, with a groan and soft thud. Somehow, the three of them ended up on the floor and they were just laughing up a storm.

"Blimey!" Rose managed to get out between chuckles.

The Doctor was already standing and jumping over to one of the monitors.

"You're telling me. Are you all right?" He asked them as Amanda helped Rose up.

"Yeah, I think so. Nothing broken." Rose joked, making Amanda chuckle even more.

"Soooooo…..did we make it? Where are we?" Amanda asked, resting her chin on the Doctor's shoulder to see the monitor for herself. (Not that she could actually read it…it was all in Galifrayin)

"I did It.—" he said proudly.

"Give the man a metal!" Amanda said, teasingly, and ruffled the top of his head.

He gave her a look of mock annoyance and playfully shoved her.

"—as I was saying….Earth, Naples. December 24, 1860." He finished.

"That's so weird." Rose commented, shaking her head with a grin. "It's Christmas."

The Doctor gestured towards the doors.

"All yours." He told her.

She looked at the door, a little hesitant.

"But, it's, like, think about it, though—Christmas 1860. Happens once. Just once, and it's gone. It's finished. It'll never happen again." She smiled now. "Except for you two. You can go back and see days that are dead and gone, a hundred thousand sunsets ago. No wonder you never stay still."

"Not a bad life." He smirked.

"Better with three." She offered with her own smirk.

They all grinned and chuckled happily with one another, but, then Amanda suddenly sobered.

"Oh my gosh." She gasped in shock.

Rose and the Doctor looked at her in concern but then softened when they saw her face lift into bright smile.

"It's my birthday!" She cheered.

The other's blinked, caught off guard, while Amanda did a celebratory dance around the console, lightly singing to herself, the chorus of 'Good Life' by Onerepublic.

"Hey! That's right." Said the Doctor as he watched her happily dance around.

He and Rose were laughing at her childishness when she stopped and grinned at them.

"I'm from 2012 and I get to celebrate my 23rd birthday with my two, new, best friends, in 1860's Naples….How neat is _that_?!" She asked excitedly.

Rose was taken aback.

"Wait…..you're 23?" She asked, shocked.

"Well, I am now. Why?" Amanda replied.

"Well, it's just…I thought you and I were the same age." Rose explained, sounding slightly disappointed.

"Well, how old are _you_, then?" Questioned Amanda.

"19." Rose answered.

Amanda laughed, well naturedly.

"Well, sheesh! It's only a four year difference. No big deal." She teased.

Rose smiled again. Amanda was right. It really wasn't that big of gap.

"Right then! Come on birthday girl. Let's get out there and celebrate properly." She said, in a much happier mood while leaping towards the doors.

"Hey, hey, hey, where do you think you're going?" Amanda stopped her.

"1860." She replied in a way as if to say 'duh'.

"Go out there dressed like that, you'll start a riot, Barbarella." The Doctor warned her, and then gestured to a corridor. "There's a wardrobe through there. First left, second right, third on the left, go straight ahead, under the stairs, past the bins, fifth door on your left…Hurry up."

Rose started to make for the corridor when she suddenly stopped, looking very confused.

"Wait…what?" She asked.

Amanda rolled her eyes and pushed her forwards, and glanced back to give the Doctor a mock stern look, as if to say 'you're horrible'.

"Come on Rose, I'll _show_ you. I think you'll like it! It's more of a 'room', with multiple stories of clothes from nearly every time-period, from all across the universe…" She started to explain, her voice trailing off as they got farther away.

*******TARDIS/Wardrobe/20 Minutes Later*******

"Here, Rose, try this one!" Said Amanda, excitedly, as she held a dress out to Rose. "You could wear it with that short, black-velvet cloak over there!"

Rose took it to look over and smiled as she held it up to herself in the mirror. It had a slightly sparkling, black top with short, ruffled, off-the-shoulder sleeves, and a dark, wine-colored, floor-length skirt that had little flowers embroidered on it in an even darker burgundy.

Amanda let her look over the dress while she picked out one for herself. She had just found a nice, dress that had a deep, blue, top, a black, slightly ruffled skirt, and short, black, ruffled sleeves that hung lose at the shoulders.

She usually hated having to constantly change her 'everyday' clothes. In her mind, (sense they traveled too much for strangers to notice) if they weren't torn, stained, or smelly…there was no point. But, unfortunately, not only was her shirt ruined from Platform One…but they had also just landed in the 1800's. So, by '_Doctor's orders'_, both Rose and Amanda were now in the TARDIS' epic wardrobe.

But, hey! What girl, no matter their age, with access to this many options, in a time period that's not their own…resist playing dress-up?

"Oh, I love it!" Said Rose, finally satisfied. "Ooooo, and you should definitely wear that one! Look! There's a cloak just like mine, see. We'll match!"

Amanda couldn't help but laugh at their shenanigans.

"We're both dorks! Honestly. Look at us….acting like little girls….Oh well, hurry up." Amanda shook her head. "I'll pin your hair up for you." She offered.

"Oh, thanks, and I'll do yours." Said Rose, excitedly.

The two of them finished getting ready and quickly made their way back to the main room where the Doctor was waiting for them.

*******TARDIS/Console Room*******

The Doctor was waiting for them while doing what he usually could be found doing when he had free time….tinkering with the engines. The girls walked up to him slowly, from behind, where he was partially down, under the floor-grating. He turned around at the sound of their approaching footsteps and looked up to see them beautifully done-up in 1860's garb. When he saw them, his eyes went wide in shock.

'_That's right Doctor. Eat your hearts out_' Amanda thought, with a smug smirk.

Rose was nervous though.

"Don't laugh." She warned him, trying not to laugh herself.

Amanda chuckled anyways. The Doctor's face was priceless.

"You look beautiful…." He complimented them.

Though, Rose noticed that his gaze lingered mostly on Amanda. This got her curious. She knew that he and Amanda were very playful and friendly with each other. But, exactly how close were they, really? It's not like she could just ask them, out-right. That could make things potentially awkward. '_Maybe I could talk to Amanda about it later._' She wondered. She was definitely going to watch them more closely though. As she'd witnessed with Jabe, other aliens seemed to find him appealing, and if Amanda did like him, it was Rose's duty as a friend, to help her out and steer away the competition. (at least, that's how it worked out in Rose's mind, anyways)

The Doctor, realizing what he'd just said, and how he said it, quickly added, off-handedly, and looked away…

"…Considering."

Amanda raised an eyebrow at him and put her hands on her hips.

"Considering what?" She challenged him.

"That you're human." He answered, nonchalantly.

Amanda laughed and rolled her eyes.

"Nope, sorry. You already complimented us like a drooling puppy. No take-backs!" She teased him and grabbed Rose's hand, heading towards the door. "Come along Rose!" She chirped.

"Oi!" He scoffed indignantly.

The girls just ignored him and laughed amongst themselves (honestly, what did he expect…having two females on board). Then Rose turned back to him in confusion.

"Aren't _you_ going to change?" She asked him.

"I've changed my jumper. Come on." He said as he ran for the door.

Rose stopped him before he could get them open though.

Hold it! Amanda's the birthday girl. She should go first." She scolded.

"Oh please." She scoffed, jokingly. "I've already had plenty of birthdays. How many times have _you_ taken a trip to the past? Now go for it!" Amanda pushed her to the doors. "This one's all yours, babe!"

Rose grinned excitedly and did as she was told. When she saw what was on the other side, her smile turned to a look of awe. There was snow everywhere. She stepped out slowly, watching it crunch beneath her feet.

"Ready for this?" Amanda asked her with a childish glee.

Rose smiled back with her own silly grin as they each took one of the Doctor's offered arms.

"Here we go..." He said, cheerily. "History."

The trio then left the alleyway to explore the town. It was amazing; the streets were bustling with life. They saw families and couples walking about and horse-drawn carriages being pulled every-which-way. They could even faintly hear the sounds of carolers, singing a small distance away.

"This is fantastic!" Amanda squealed. "Oh! And later, we need to get some sweet-rolls or something!"

The Doctor chuckled and led them over to a man who was selling newspapers so they could find out if anything interesting was going on at the moment and to get themselves up to date on the local, current events. While looked it over, the girls continued to look at the different sights and sounds around them. The Doctor suddenly looked a bit disappointed.

"I got the flight a bit wrong." He informed them.

"You should be used to that by now. I know I am." Amanda teased.

"It's not 1860, it's 1869." He continued.

"I don't care." Rose laughed.

The girls continued to make their way down the street, not a care in the world.

"And it's not Naples—" He said a bit more hesitantly.

"Still don't care." Amanda sang.

"It's Cardiff." He said flatly.

Rose paused for a moment at this.

"Right…" She replied, a bit deflated.

Amanda continued to smile, but smugly now.

"HA!" She taunted. "You see, this is one of the benefits of being American. That whole, 'ignorance is bliss', thing. While you, Rose, for some reason unbeknownst to me, are put off at the mention of our location…I still get to enjoy myself, because I apparently don't know any better."

"Oh…hush, you!" Rose laughed and playfully shoved her.

Suddenly, they heard screams coming from down the street and they could see people running from the theater in fright. Both the Doctor and Amanda perked up at this.

"That's more like it." Said the Doctor, excitedly.

The screams continued as they ran closer and they had to try and weave their way through the franticly retreating crowd to get inside. They were able to get in just in time to see a blue-ish, wisp of howling mist, glide by them and continue its way around the room. Rose was a little freaked out by this, but both Amanda and the Doctor were ecstatic and the two of them managed to breathe out simultaneously…

"Fantastic!" (Doctor) "Beautiful!" (Amanda)

Rose just shook her head at the pair of them. The Doctor then rushed forwards towards the stage, where a man was standing with the best vantage point.

"Did you see where it came from?" The Doctor asked, quickly.

"Ah, the wag reveals himself, does he?" The man accused, angrily. "I trust you're satisfied, sir!"

The Doctor looked taken aback and confused. Amanda was trying to push her way through the craziness to get to the stage as well when she heard Rose cry out.

"Oi! Leave her alone!" Rose shouted at an old man and young girl who were dragging away, what appeared to be, an unconscious old woman. "Doctor, I'll get'm!" She announced determinedly.

Rose then proceeded to chase after them as quickly as she could.

"Rose, wait! Be careful!" Amanda called after her, trying to stop her.

But it was too late. Rose had already made it out the doors and out of sight. Amanda sighed and made her way up to the Doctor instead.

"Screw it. We'll get her in a minute." She assured him.

"Such language, from a Lady?!" The other man said in shock.

Amanda managed to look both sheepish and annoyed at the same time.

"Right. My apologies, sir. I don't know what's come over me. It must be the shock and excitement from everything that has just occurred here tonight." She managed to cover up, by playing the 'innocent-scared-girl' card.

The man seemed to buy it and turned his focus back to the Doctor, who just barely managed to cover up a sinker at the hilarity of Amanda's comment. When the man was no longer looking at her, she rolled her eyes and stuck out her tongue for good measure (childish, yes…but totally worth it). The Doctor climbed up, onto the stage and grasped the man's arm.

"Did it say anything? Can it speak?" He asked the man, enthusiastically. "I'm The Doctor, by the way."

"Doctor?" The man repeated, skeptically. "You look more like a Navy."

The Doctor turned to Amanda and dramatically pulled on the sweater he wore underneath his leather jacket.

"What's wrong with this jumper?" He whined.

"Nothing, Hun, you look fine." She assured him with a soft smile.

The Doctor smiled back at the compliment and if Rose had been there, she would have seen his ears turn slightly red for a moment, but Amanda was oblivious to this.

Just then, the 'specter' of sorts flew past them again, wailing away. It glided all the way up to the balcony and disappeared into one of the gas lamps. The Doctor's face sparked with a look of understanding.

"Gas. It's made of gas." He explained.

This definitely peaked Amanda's interest.

"Oooo, Neat! My first gas creature!" She said in wonder.

The Doctor jumped from the stage and grabbed Amanda's hand as the two of them ran for the doors to fetch Rose so they could then figure out where to start from there. The other man trailed after them in frustration. They got outside just in time to see a hearse, with Rose's blond hair showing in the back, drive off and away and around the corner. Amanda yelled after them in panic.

"ROSE!" She screamed.

She started to run towards the direction they had gone in, but the Doctor stopped her. She turned into him and hid her face in his chest to calm herself down so she wouldn't start to cry. He wrapped an arm around her protectively and quickly moved his eyes about the area to try and find another carriage.

"You're not escaping _me_, sir." Called out the man that was following them. "What do you know about that hobgoblin, hmm?" He asked angrily. "Projection on glass, I suppose. Who put you up to it?"

"Yeah, mate. Not now, thanks." The Doctor said distractedly annoyed.

He lightly pushed the man aside, pulling Amanda along in the direction of another coach instead. It would get them to Rose much faster than running would. He called out to the cabbie…

"Oi, you! Follow that hearse." He commanded.

The other gentleman chased after them.

"You can't do that, sir." He yelled.

"Why not?" Amanda asked.

"I'll tell you why not. I'll give you a very good reason why not. Because this is my coach!" He snapped.

Amanda rolled her eyes and yanked him by the sleeve.

"Well, get in, then." She demanded in exasperation.

"Move!" The Doctor commanded the cabbie.

With a cry of 'hyah! come on!', and the snap of the reigns, they were off.

"Come on, you're losing them" The Doctor yelled.

The cabbie turned his head down to the window and called out to his boss.

"Everything in order, Mr. Dickens?"

"No, it is not!" Mr. Dickens answered back, very put off by having his coach stolen, along with himself.

"What did he say?" Amanda asked in shock.

"Let me say this first." Mr. Dickens started. "I'm not without a sense of humor—"

"Dickens?" Amanda interrupted.

"Yes." He answered her.

"Charles Dickens?" She reiterated.

"Yes." He confirmed.

"_The_ Charles Dickens?" She asked excitedly.

The cabby called down again.

"Shall I remove the gentleman and the lady, sir?" He asked in a threatening manner.

Amanda was in awe, she was ecstatic. What a perfect birthday present this moment turned out to be. She started to go into fan-girl mode.

"Charles Dickens. You're brilliant, you are! Completely, one hundred percent, brilliant! I've read them all—'Great Expectations', 'Oliver Twist'—" She started.

'_Got to love the TARDIS library!_' She added mentally.

"Oh, and what's the other one, the one with the ghost?" The Doctor jumped in, just as excited and enthusiastic.

" 'A Christmas Carol'?" Amanda asked, trying to help.

"No, no, no. The one with the trains." He insisted.

Her face lit up with recognition and she bounced in her seat.

" 'The Signal Man'!" She shouted.

"That's it—" He laughed, then screwed up his face. "Terrifying."

Mr. Dickens watched them as they chattered back and forth animatedly with each other about his works, with much interest.

"The best short story ever written." Amanda gushed.

"You're a genius." The Doctor agreed.

Mr. Dickens was flattered.

"You want me to get rid of them, sir?" The driver asked again.

"Uh, no, I think they can stay." He answered with a smile.

"Honestly, Charles—can I call you Charles?" Asked the Doctor as he shook Mr. Dickens' hand. "I'm such a big fan."

"You're a what?" Dickens asked, very confused. "A big what?"

"Fan—number one fan. That's me." Said the Doctor with a big stupid grin on his face.

Dickens was still confused.

"How exactly are you a fan? In what way do you resemble a means of keeping oneself cool?" He asked.

Amanda laughed at this. It was too adorable.

"No, it means 'fanatic', 'devoted to'." She explained. "We love your work, sir."

"Mind you, I've got to say, that American bit in 'Martin Chuzzlewit', what's that about?" Asked the Doctor.

"Oh yeah, I remember that bit. Was that just padding, or what?" Amanda wondered aloud.

"I mean, its rubbish, that bit." The Doctor commented.

Mr. Dickens was confused again.

"I thought you said you were my fan."

"Ah, well, if you can't take criticism…." The Doctor teased. "Go on. Do the death of Little Nell. It cracks me up." He coaxed. But then he remembered what they were supposed to be doing and refocused. "No, sorry. Forget about that. Come on, faster!" He yelled out to the driver.

They started to move a little faster.

"Who, exactly, is in that hearse?" Asked Dickens.

"Our friend. She's only 19. It's my fault. I should have gone with her." Amanda explained sadly.

She felt guilty for not chasing after her sooner. The Doctor was having none of that, though.

"No, it's_ my_ fault. The both of you are in my care, and now she's in danger." He insisted.

Charles quickly jumped into action.

"Why are we wasting my time talking about dry, old books? This is much more important. Driver, be swift! The chase is on!" He called out.

"Yes sir!" Answered the driver as he snapped the reigns to urge the horses to move faster and they immediately sped up.

"Thataboy, Charlie." Cheered the Doctor.

"Nobody calls me Charlie." He said flatly.

"The ladies do." The Doctor teased with a cheeky grin.

"How do you know that?" Charles asked in surprise.

"I told you." The Doctor replied innocently. "I'm your number one—"

Charles cut him off.

"Number one fan—I know." He said as he rolled his eyes.

They drove on a bit farther when Amanda spoke up again. She smiled at the Doctor.

"You know, so far, with the gas creature and meeting Charles Dickens…..if it wasn't for those jerks kidnapping Rose…I'd say that this is the best birthday I've ever had! We'll, it's also the only one I can remember having, but that's beside the point." The last part was said jokingly. "Thank you." She added.

She grabbed the Doctor's face and planted a big kiss on his cheek. She looked him in the eyes and smiled innocently. He smiled back and there was something extra there, hidden behind his eyes, but she didn't know what it was (she wasn't good at reading those sort of things). Then, her own expression changed to a look of determination.

"Now let's get our Rose back so we can figure out whatever the heck is going on." She demanded.

Being the gentleman that he was, Charles had turned his head away during her little display of affection and was just then brought back to attention at her last comment. Eventually, the carriage came to a stop and after getting out himself; Charles turned and held out his hand to assist Amanda in her decent. She glanced back at the Doctor and grinned giddily making him chuckle. They approached the mortuary and Charles decided to take charge of the situation. He stood in front of the group and knock firmly on the door with its lion-head knocker. Amanda and the Doctor both had to school their expressions…now was the time to be serious. They just stood back and let Charles do his thing, looking rather impressed.

They only had to wait a moment until the door was answered by a young woman, the house maid if her uniform was to be any indication. She was a small brunet with an adorable face or at least it would be if she didn't look so guilty and….fearful. When she spoke, her voice was soft and friendly, but you could easily tell that she was nervous about something. Amanda also noticed that she had a slight gap between her two front teeth.

"I'm sorry, sir, we're closed." The girl informed them as politely as possible.

But none of them were dumb enough to believe _that_, and Charles took it upon himself to tell her so.

"Nonsense! Sense when did an undertaker keep office hours? The dead don't die on schedule. I demand to see your master!" He scolded her.

Amanda had to admit that the girl was good. Even though Charles had just called her on her lie, in a rather intimidating fashion, she didn't falter.

"He's not in, sir." She tried to assure him.

She quickly made to close the door on them, but Mr. Dickens was quicker. He stuck out his hand to block the door and pushed it back open. He meant business and this girl was getting on his last nerve.

"Don't lie to me child! Summon him at once." He growled at her.

The poor girl was starting to get nervous now as she tried to insist on her original claim.

"I'm awfully sorry, Mr. Dickens, but the master's indisposed."

As she was saying this, Amanda saw the gas-lamp in the front hall flicker and shudder for a second. She elbowed the Doctor and subtly pointed it out.

"Having trouble with your gas?" He asked, knowingly.

The girl's eyes widened, briefly, in fear as she groaned.

"Oh no!"

This exchange caught the attention of Charles and he too noticed that the lights were starting to flutter.

"What the Shakespeare is going on?" He asked in confused suspicion.

The Doctor pushed his way past them and through the door. He went straight for a bit of wall underneath one of the lamps and pressed his ear to it so he could listen to the pipes. The house maid started to panic now.

"You're not allowed inside, sir." She insisted, almost begging.

The Doctor just ignored her and beckoned Amanda to come and listen for herself.

"There's something inside the walls." He told her.

He moved aside so she could place her ears against the same spot he had just been.

There was a noise mixed in with the usual sound of the pipes. A sort of moaning and screeching, like children crying. Amanda scrunched up her face in concern and confusion.

"What is that?" She asked him. "The gas pipes—"

He nodded his head, understanding where her thoughts were going.

"—Something's living inside the gas." He agreed.

Suddenly, they all heard Rose's voice crying out from somewhere down the hall, farther into the house, accompanied by the sound of something banging, franticly, on a door.

"Let me out! Open the door!" She screamed in panic.

"That's her." Amanda shouted.

The maid closed her eyes in acceptance, ashamed at herself, and let them run past her without farther protest. They all, quickly, ran in the direction they could hear her calling from.

"Let me out!" Rose continued to shout.

The Doctor was the fastest so he was in the lead. A man, who they assumed to be the mortician, came bustling down the hall way at the sound off all the commotion and tried to stop them. The Doctor just pushed him aside and continued on to round the corner to try and break through the door that Rose was trapped behind.

"How dare you, sir!" The man called after him, sounding flustered. "This is _my_ house!"

"Shut up!" Charles snapped at him as he and Amanda passed.

'_Way to go Charlie!_' Amanda cheered in her head.

"I told you." The man snapped in frustration at his maid when she caught up to them.

The poor woman looked overwhelmed as she shrunk away from him. This angered Amanda and she turned around to tell him so.

"Oh, please!" She huffed. "We could hear our friend shouting all the way from the front door! Honestly, you tell me, with three of us and only one of her, do you really think that Gwyneth could have held us back?! Don't be ridiculous, you stupid man!"

She nodded at the maid and continued on to where the others were. The maid let a ghost of a smile appear on her face before she quickly wiped it away again and the mortician looked completely taken aback.

The Doctor burst through the door just in time to see the reanimated corps of a young man, holding Rose in place as an equally dead old woman moved in closer to them.

"I think this is my dance." The Doctor quipped as he rushed forward to release her.

He pushed Rose behind him into Amanda's awaiting arms, while keeping a close eye on the walking dead. Amanda embraced her shaking friend in comfort.

"You seem to be making a habit of getting yourself captured and locked behind doors of death." Amanda smirked at her playfully.

She was just relieved that Rose was okay. The two girls turned to see what the Doctor would do, each grasping one of his arms, cautiously. Charles on the other hand, was in denial and refused to believe what he was witnessing.

"It's a prank. Must be." He stammered. "We're under some mesmeric influence."

"No we're not. The dead are walking." The Doctor confirmed. He then glanced at Rose and smiled cheerfully. "Hi."

"Hi." She said back with a bemused smile of her own and slightly out of breath. "Who's your friend?"

"Charles Dickens." He informed her with a conspiratorial smirk.

Amanda chuckled at the two of them and the craziness of the situation.

"Oh, okay." Rose answered in acceptance as if to say, 'of course, silly me…why wouldn't he be'.

The Doctor then addressed the corpses, expectantly.

"My name's The Doctor. Who are you then? What do you want?"

The corpse of the young man answered him using his own voice, mingled with the voice of another. It was a being that sounded like a small child, a scared little girl. It was very eerie.

"**We're failing. Open the rift. We're dying. Trapped in this form….Cannot sustain. Help us." **He said, sounding as if it took a lot of effort.

Then, the two bodies collapsed to the ground as the blue, gaseous creatures were forced to leave with a wailing, screeching, moan. They flew back into the lamps. The trio looked at each other, not quite sure what to think, but, slowly, both Amanda and the Doctor had matching looks of concerned interest appeared on their faces.

Now that their little problem had been discovered, the men quickly lifted the bodies back into their proper places and Mr. Sneed led them all into the sitting room where his maid began to prepare tea for everyone and Rose let off some steam.

"First of all, you drug me, then you kidnap me—" She ranted as she paced about. "And don't think I didn't feel your hands having a quick wonder, you dirty old man!"

Amanda was standing with the Doctor, off in the corner, both of them snickering to each other at Rose's feistiness. But at that last comment, the Doctor had to grab hold of Amanda's shoulder to keep her from smacking the old man on Rose's behalf.

"I won't be spoken to like this!" The man protested.

But Rose ignored him and continued her rant anyways.

"Then you stuck me in a room full of zombies. And if that ain't enough, you swan off and leave me to die! So come on, TALK!" She demanded.

"It's not my fault. It's this house." He confessed. "It always had a reputation—haunted. But I never had much bother, until about three months back, and then the stiffs—" he corrected himself at the look he received from Mr. Dickens. "—the, um, dearly departed started getting restless."

"Tommyrot." Charles scoffed.

"You witnessed it." Mr. Sneed countered. "Can't keep the beggars down, sir. They walk. And it's the queerest thing, but they hang on to scraps."

At this moment, the maid brought Amanda a cup of tea, smiling kindly.

"Two sugars and a dash of milk, Miss., just the way you like it."

Amanda's face took on a look of slight shock as she accepted the cup. The girl was about to walk away to get the Doctor's tea, but Amanda stopped her by laying her hand on her wrist.

"Wait. How did you know that?" She asked.

The girl looked at her in confusion.

"I'm sorry, Miss. I just assumed that you would know, seeing as you're like me and all."

"What do you mean?" Amanda asked in wonder.

"You knew my name, Miss."

Amanda gasped in shocked realization as the girl, 'Gwyneth', returned to her task.

"What did she mean?" The Doctor whispered to Amanda.

"Earlier, I called her Gwyneth. The thing is, though…she never introduced herself." She whispered back, startled. "Could she know, Doctor? Could Gwyn know what this thing I can do is?" She asked him hopefully.

"I don't know." He said apologetically, giving her shoulder a squeeze.

He didn't want to get her hopes up. He knew how much her ability freighted her. Amanda tuned out the rest of the conversation, just staring at Gwyn, until she heard the Doctor snap in annoyance at Charles.

"Oh, Charles, you were there."

"I saw nothing but an illusion." Dickens denied.

Amanda rolled her eyes.

"If you're going to deny it, don't waste my time. Just shut up." The Doctor commanded. He then turned back to Mr. Sneed. "What about the gas?"

"That's new, Sir. Never seen anything like that." He answered.

"Means it's getting stronger, the rift's getting wider and something's sneaking through." The Doctor explained.

"What's the rift?" Asked Rose.

Before the Doctor could answer her, Amanda, without even meaning to, did it for him.

"A weak point in time and space, a connection between this place and another—"

She trailed off and the Doctor stared down at her in concern. Once the words left her mouth, Amanda flinched and closed her eyes with a sigh. She then started to bite her nails to distract herself. To help relieve the pressure she was feeling, the Doctor continued for her.

"—that's the cause of ghost stories, most of the time."

"That's how I got the house so cheap." Said Mr. Sneed in realizations. "Stories going back generations— echoes in the dark, queer songs in the air, and this feeling like a….shadow passing over your soul. Mind you, truth be told, it's been good for business."

Amanda and the Doctor grinned at this.

"Just what people expect from a gloomy old trade like yours." Amanda offered, good-naturedly.

The conversation kind of dissolved from there, everyone taking time to mull over all of this new information. The Doctor looked to the door that Charles had left abruptly through, a moment earlier, and made to follow after him. Before he left, he looked down at Amanda to make sure that she would be okay. She nodded her head, indicating that she was fine and for him to go, so he gave her hand a squeeze and left the room.

The girls, wanting to make themselves useful, trailed after Gwyneth who was heading towards the kitchen. As she was lighting one of the lamps, Rose stepped over to the sink and started to wash some of the dishes, then handed them over to Amanda who had grabbed a nearby towel to dry them. When Gwyn saw them, she began to protest.

"Please, Miss, you two really shouldn't be helping. It's not right."

Amanda handed over the towel and stepped back, not wanting to offend her, but Rose just brushed her off, not understanding her concerns.

"Don't be daft. That Mr. Sneed works you to death."

But Gwyn was insistent so Rose reluctantly gave up and handed her the dish she'd been washing.

"How much do you get paid?" Rose asked her, sincerely curious.

Eight pounds a year, Miss." She answered.

"How much?" Rose asked in disbelief.

She was concerned, thinking that Mr. Sneed was severely taking advantage of the poor girl. But Gwyn just shook her head in awe.

"I know. I would have been happy with six." She insisted.

Amanda leaned over and whispered into Rose's ear so Gwyn couldn't hear.

"Remember Rose, this is 1869. Money has a different value now than it does in our time."

Rose nodded her head in realization and turned her attention back to Gwyn.

"So, did you even go to school, or what?" Rose wondered, not realizing that her question was rather rude.

Amanda mentally face-palmed and Gwyn looked at Rose in indignation, but smiled softly and answered her anyways.

"Of course I did. What do you think I am, an urchin? I went every Sunday, nice and proper."

Rose just looked confused though.

"What, once a week?" She asked.

"We did sums and everything." Gwyn informed them excitedly.

"Oh, good for you Gwyn! I'm glad to know that Mr. Sneed cared about your education." Amanda affirmed her.

"Oh, I know, Miss." Gwyn agreed happily, then, she leaned in as if to tell them a secret. "To be honest, I hated every second."

The girls all giggled at this.

"Me too." Rose added.

"Don't tell anyone, but one week…..I didn't go, and I ran down the heath, all on my own." Gwyn admitted.

The girls chuckled even more at this.

"I did plenty of that. What about you, Amanda?" Rose asked, but then felt sorry for doing so as Amanda's smile dropped slightly.

"I wouldn't know." She answered.

Trying to relieve the tension of her blunder, Rose continued, sharing one of her own stories.

"I use to go 'round the shops with my mate Shareen. And we use to go and look at boys." She laughed.

Gwyn, being the proper girl she was, sobered at this, embarrassedly.

"Well, I don't know much about that, Miss."

Rose caught the slight blush on Gwyn's face though and decided to do a bit more prying.

"Oh, come on." She scoffed, good-naturedly. "Times haven't changed that much. I bet you've done the same."

Gwyn just shook her head and tried to refocus her attention on the dishes.

"I don't think so, Miss."

"Gwyneth! You can tell me." Rose reassured her. "I bet you've got your eye on someone."

Amanda was smiling at their silliness. They were acting like teenagers (though, Rose still technically was one).

"I suppose." Gwyn relented. "There is one lad.

Rose smiled in triumph.

"The butcher's boy." Gwyn continued, smiling softly at the thought of her crush. "He comes by every Tuesday. Such a smile on him."

"Oh, I like a nice smile." Amanda agreed, thinking absentmindedly of the Doctor.

She didn't know that Rose caught her look and smiled knowingly. Then Rose blundered a bit, adding on to the comment.

"Good smile, nice bum." She smirked.

Gwyn sobered again at that.

"Well, I have never heard the like." She scolded half-heartedly.

But Rose just continued to chuckle anyways and eventually Gwyn couldn't help herself and joined in on the playful laughter.

"Ask him out." Rose suggested. "Give him a cup of tea or something. That's a start."

"I swear. It's the strangest thing, Miss. You've got all the clothes and the breeding, but you talk like some sort of wild thing."

"Maybe I am." Rose joked, and then became serious. "Maybe that's a good thing."

Amanda shook her head and sighed. Rose just didn't understand how different the attitudes of women were in this time. Gwyn just shrugged it off. Rose didn't let it go so easily though.

"You need a bit more in your life than Mr. Sneed." She tried.

Gwyn was a loyal person though. She knew how lucky she was to have an employer like him.

"Oh, now, that's not fair. He's not bad, old Sneed. He was very kind to take me in, because I lost my mum and dad to the flu when I was twelve." She explained.

"Oh, I'm sorry." Rose apologized.

"Thank you, Miss. But I'll be with them again, one day. Sitting with them in paradise. I shall be so blessed. They're waiting for me. Maybe your dad's up there, waiting for you, too, Miss." She assured, but then she looked sad. "Poor Amanda, she'll never see hers again….and they don't even remember her."

Amanda stiffened at this. She turned her head away quickly to hide the tears that began to form. Unfortunately, Rose didn't notice. She was too focused on the mention of her dad.

"Maybe…" She smiled softly, and then realized just what Gwyn had said. "Um, who told you he was dead?"

Gwyn tried to cover herself by brushing it off.

"I don't know, Miss. Must have been the Doctor."

"My father died years back." Rose admitted softly.

"You've been thinking about him lately—more than ever." Gwyn blundered again.

"I suppose so…." Rose wondered, and then she realized that Gwyn had done it again. "How do you know all this?"

Amanda listened closely, hoping that Gwyn would reveal something.

"Mr. Sneed says I think too much." She tried to brush off by feigning embarrassment. "I'm all alone down here. I bet you've got dozens of servants, haven't you, Miss?"

"No," Rose chuckled. "No servants were we're from."

Gwyn went on, not realizing what she was saying.

"And you've come such a long way."

Amanda couldn't help herself.

"What makes you think so?" She asked, urgently.

Rose watched them both go into this strange, focused state. Almost as if they were miles away, the two of them, locking gazes with each other. No one noticed the Doctor come in, staying towards the back to listen in.

"She's from London. I've seen London in drawings—" Gwyn started.

"But never like that." Amanda added.

Gwyn nodded in agreement and continued.

"All those people rushing about, half-naked, for shame. And the noise. And the metal boxes racing past. And the birds in the sky—no, their metal, as well. Metal birds with people in them." She became slightly fearful. "People are flying. And you—" She indicated to Amanda herself now. "Amanda, you've flown the farthest…farther than anyone, even farther than the Doctor."

Amanda was starting to tremble.

"The things you've seen—" Gwyn continued. "Doctor who…such pain and devotion…the darkness…..the big bad wolf…" She trailed off.

Amanda saw flashes of faces, different men, including the Doctor. She didn't know that she was seeing all of his incarnations, all the way through eleven. Then at the mention of 'the big bad wolf', she saw swirling golden light. It was so bright and she was so scared…it was all so familiar but she didn't know why. She didn't even know that a tear had fallen from her eyes. Suddenly, they both gasped with a shudder as they broke the connection and backed away from each other.

"I'm sorry. I'm sorry, Miss." Gwyn tried to apologies.

"It's all right." Amanda whispered, still shaken up, trying to bring herself back from what she saw.

"I can't help it, Miss. Oh, but you have to understand? You can do it too." Gwyn tried, just as shaken.

"But, that's just the thing, Gwyn, I _don't_ understand. Ever sense the Doctor found me." Her voice shook as she tried not to cry. "I have no memories from before that day. I don't know if I've always been able to do this…..or if this is new. And rarely do I ever remember anything about my past. Only now….only future events and things and people and places. I don't know what it is that you can do, Gwyn, but I don't think we're the same. Oh I wish that we were…It would be so much simpler…because I think you're connected to the rift….but…..but I'm not…." Amanda explained, still slightly out of it.

Gwyneth looked at her in awe.

"Ever sense I was a little girl, my mum said I had the sight. She told me to hide it" She started to explain, a little panicked.

The Doctor chose that moment to announce his presence, startling all of them when he cut in.

"But it's getting stronger, more powerful, is that right?" He asked.

For a second, no one knew which of the girls he was addressing. Amanda wondered, just exactly how long was he standing there. How much did he see, what did he hear? Gwyn decided to answer for herself.

"All the time sir." She whispered. "Every night…..voices in my head. "

"Amanda was right." He briefly made eye contact with said companion to let her know that he in fact _had_ been there the whole time, then turned back to Gwyn. "You grew up on top of the rift. You're part of it."

"You're the key." Amanda added.

"I've tried to make sense of it, Sir." Gwyn confessed. "Consulted with spiritualists, table rappers, all sorts."

The Doctor looked pleased at this.

"Well, that should help. You can show us what to do." He told her.

"What to do where, Sir?" Gwen asked hesitantly.

"We're going to have a séance." He replied.

Gwyneth nodded her head a bit reluctantly in agreement before heading off to get everything ready. Rose followed after her to help, but Amanda stayed behind, too lost in her own thoughts to do anything else just yet. Once the other two were gone, the Doctor slowly approached her to see if she was going to be ok. When he was close enough, he lightly put his hand on her shoulder and became concerned when she flinched away, startled, as if she had forgotten where she was for a moment.

"What's wrong?" He asked her, finally getting her to look at him. "What did you see?"

"Faces." She whispered.

"Faces? What kind of faces?" He prompted.

"Eleven of them. There were eleven. Yours was one of them Doctor." She told him hesitantly. "The ninth."

The Doctor stilled for a moment.

"Only eleven?" He asked her.

"Yes. Is it important, Doctor? What does it mean?" He didn't answer. "Doctor?"

"Right. No, not important. What else did you see?" He asked, moving right along.

"There was this light….this…this…..I don't actually know how to describe it." She started to get frustrated and slammed her hand against the wall. "Just more of this stupid déjà vu!" She huffed. "She mentioned my parents you know. Said that I would never see them again…..never again and they don't even remember me. I really _am _alone." She ended softly.

The Doctor grabbed her by the shoulders.

"Look at me." He commanded her, but she ignored him. "Amanda Winters, you look at me!" She snapped her eyes to his. "Do you trust me?"

"Always." She answered, straight-faced.

"I promise you, we will figure this out and everything will be fine." He assured her.

"How could you possibly promise something like that?" She asked him.

With a very sincere voice, straight face, and confident stance—he replied.

"Because I'm the Doctor and you know what else….._you_ will never be alone as long as I'm here. You got that?" Then, in another 'flip-of-the-switch' moment, he flashed her is cheeky grin and pulled her away to join the others. "Off we go then!"

Amanda couldn't help but chuckle. He was good at that.

*******TIME SKIP/20 Minutes*******

They were all gathered around a table, ready to begin. Both Amanda and the Doctor were looking a bit excited but the others looked a bit more cautious. Charles looked down right annoyed like he'd much rather be doing something else. He was still having trouble adjusting to this new way of looking at the world around him. Amanda sat to Gwyn's left with Charles next to her, then Rose, and Mr. Sneed, ending with the Doctor on Gwyn's right.

"This is how Madam Mortlock summons those from the lands of the mists down in Butetown." Gwyn informed them with a smile. "Come. We must all join hands."

Everyone immediately joined hands except Charles. He was being difficult and started to stand up instead.

"I can't take part in this." He huffed.

The Doctor wasn't going to let him just walk away so easily, though.

"Humbug?" He challenged him. "Come on, open mind."

"This is precisely the sort of cheap mummery I strive to unmask." Charles argued. "Séances? Nothing but luminous tambourines and a squeeze box concealed between the knees. This girl knows nothing." He scoffed.

Gwyneth looked put down by this and she averted her eyes to the floor.

"Now don't antagonize her." The Doctor scolded. Then, smiling, he added. "I love a happy medium."

Amanda couldn't help but laugh at this which made the Doctor happy. Rose let out a snicker as well.

"I can't believe you just said that." Rose reprimanded while shaking her head.

The Doctor smiled at her too.

"God, I love it when you do that." Amanda managed to chuckle out.

He gave her a cheesy grin, and then looked to Charles with a straight face again.

"Come on. We might need you." The Doctor encouraged him.

Charles paused for a moment but then reluctantly sat back down with a huff in acceptance.

"Good man." The Doctor cheered. He then turned his focus back to Gwyn and became serious again. "Now, Gwyneth, Reach out."

She did as she was told and turned her eyes towards the ceiling, as If she were searching for something. She called out hesitantly.

"Speak to us." Then, gaining more of her courage, her voice became stronger. "Are you there? Spirits, come. Speak to us, that we may relieve your burden." She encouraged them.

Slowly, building up, there was a sort of undistinguished, eerie shouting coming from the walls.

"Can you hear that?" Rose asked a little weirded out by the noise.

"Nothing can happen. This is sheer folly." Insisted Charles.

"Look at her." Rose countered.

Gwyn was focusing on something.

"I see them." She gasped. "I feel them."

They all gasped as well as they watched glowing, blue wisps of gas gather around them.

"What's it saying?" Asked Rose, a bit freaked out now.

"They can't get through the rift." Amanda answered.

"Gwyneth, it's not controlling you. You're controlling it." The Doctor spouted off with sudden realization. "Now, look deep. Allow them through." He coaxed her.

"I can't." She cried.

"Yes, you can." The Doctor insisted. "Just believe it. I have faith in you, Gwyneth. Make the link."

Gwyn closed her eyes in strained concentration. Suddenly, she went stiff, sitting rigged and her eyes opened wide, looking glassy. It was as if she were locked in place. The grip she had on both Amanda and the Doctor's hands grew tighter.

"Yes." She gasped as three humanoid, ghostlike creatures appeared behind her.

There were mixed looks of shock and awe around the table at the sight of them.

"Great God." Gasped Mr. Sneed. "Spirits from the other side."

"The other side of the universe." The Doctor corrected with a smile.

Then, the lead creature spoke as before, using a combination of Gwyn's voice and its own child-like voice.

"_**Pity us.**__**Pity the Gelth. There's so little time. Help us."**_ It begged.

"What do you want us to do?" The Doctor asked.

"_**The rift. Take the girl to the rift. Make the bridge."**_ It answered.

"What for?" Amanda asked, in concern for Gwyn.

"_**We are so very few. The last of our kind—we face extinction." **_It said, sadly.

This caught the Doctor's attention.

"Why, what happened?" He asked.

"_**Once, we had a physical form like you. But then the war came."**_ It answered.

"War? What war?" Charles asked them in confusion.

"_**The Time War." **_Both Rose's and Amanda's eyes went wide in understanding and glanced at the Doctor who looked saddened and slightly guilty._** "The whole universe convulsed. The time war raged, invisible to smaller species but devastating to higher form. Our bodies wasted away. We're trapped in this gaseous state."**_ It explained.

"So that's why you need the corpses." The Doctor confirmed in realization.

"_**We want to stand tall, to feel the sunlight, to live again. We need a physical form and your dead are abandoned. They go to waste. Give them to us!"**_ It begged.

"But we can't." Said Rose.

"Why not?" The Doctor asked in confusion.

"It's not—I mean, it's not—" She tried to explain, but the Doctor cut her off.

"Not decent? Not polite? It could save their lives." He argued.

Rose could only stare at him disbelievingly.

"_**Open the rift. Let the Gelth through. We're dying. Help us. Pity the Gelth."**_

With a gasping wail, the creatures released Gwyn and flew back into the gas-lamps, causing her to collapse in exhaustion. Rose quickly jumped up from her chair to run around the table in concern.

"Oh, my God, Gwyneth. Gwyneth!" She called out as she shook the girl's shoulder. "Are you okay?"

Gwyn wasn't responding. She was unconscious, fine, but completely out of it. Poor Charles was shaken up as well.

"All true." He whispered to himself. "It's all true."

*****Another TIME SKIP/25 Minutes later/Sitting Room*******

Rose was not happy with the Doctor to say the least. She sat next to Gwyn with a wet wash-cloth, dabbing at the girl's forehead. Amanda stood next to the Doctor, off to the side, leaning against a wall. She was concerned for Gwyn as well, but she didn't want to be in the way. The two girls were both relieved when her eyes finally fluttered open. Gwyn tried to get up, startled, but Rose pushed her back.

"It's all right. You just sleep." Rose assured her.

Gwyn was still in a slight daze.

"But my angels, Miss. They came didn't they—they need me?" She asked.

To Rose's annoyance, the Doctor answered her before Rose could even open her mouth.

"They do need you, Gwyneth. You're their only chance at survival." He said calmly.

"I told you—leave her alone." Rose snapped. "She's exhausted, and she's not fighting your battles."

The Doctor sighed in tired frustration and Amanda placed her hand on his shoulder.

"Drink this." Rose offered, handing Gwyn a cup of water.

"Well, what did you say, Doctor? Explain it again. What are they?" Asked Mr. Sneed.

"Aliens." He chirped, nonchalantly.

Mr. Sneed was still confused.

"Like, foreigners, you mean?" He asked.

"Pretty foreign, yeah." The Doctor answered vaguely, and then pointed towards the direction of the sky. "From up there."

Mr. Sneed still wasn't catching on.

"Bruceton?" He asked innocently.

'_Sure, why not. Let's go with that._' Though Amanda with a smile. Apparently the Doctor was thinking the same; because that's the direction he went with.

"Close—and they've been trying to get through from Breceon to Cardiff, but the road's blocked. Only a few can get through. Even then, they're weak. They can only test drive the bodies for so long, then they have to revert to gas and hide in the pipes." The Doctor explained.

"Which is why they need the girl." Charles said in resignation.

The poor man was thoroughly overwhelmed for the evening, nursing an alcoholic drink of some kind in the far corner of the room by the fireplace.

"They're not having her." Rose declared tersely.

"But she can help—living on the rift, she's become part of it—she can open it up, make a bridge, and let them through." Argued the Doctor.

"Incredible—" Charles slurred slightly. "—Ghosts that are not ghosts, but beings from another world, that can only exist in our realm by inhabiting cadavers."

"Good system Might work." The Doctor concurred enthusiastically.

"Sounds like one hell of a movie!" Amanda whispered to the Doctor who grinned slightly.

Rose was getting really frustrated now. She stood up and snapped at the Doctor.

"You can't let them run around inside dead people."

"Why not? It's like recycling." He scoffed back at her.

Amanda bounced her eyes back and forth between them like she was watching a tennis match.

"Seriously, though, you can't." She stated incredulously.

"Seriously, though, I can." He snapped.

Amanda sighed in exasperation. They were getting nowhere.

"It's just…..wrong. Those bodies were living people. We should respect them, even in death." Rose shouted.

"Do you carry a donor card?" The Doctor asked her calmly.

"That's different—that's—" She tried to argue but he cut her off.

"—it is different, yeah, it's a different morality—get used to it or go home." He told her, very seriously.

Rose looked taken aback for a moment before she turned to Amanda.

"Come on, Amanda, _you_ tell him. He always listens to you." She tried.

This sudden change of tactics caught her by surprise.

"HA!— Oh, sweetie, no he doesn't….trust me." Amanda countered. "Besides, I think you both are just arguing like children. You both are making valid points." Rose made to argue but Amanda continued before she could. "Look, I think we all just need to step back, take a breath, and just think for a moment. Examine it from every angle. I'm leaning in your direction Rose, but not for the same reasons." She stated calmly.

This only frustrated the Doctor even more. He felt like they were ganging up on him. He thought that at least Amanda would understand.

"You herd what they said—time's short. I can't worry about a few corpses when the last of the Gelth could be dying." He huffed.

"I know that, Doctor, but stop and think for just a moment." Amanda pressed. "I know you can't resist a cry for help and I think it's important that we do _something._ It's just…..what do we actually know about them? Earlier, when Rose was locked in that room, they could have asked her for help then, but they didn't. They tried to attack her." She offered. "What if they're really hostile and they're just trying to take advantage of your kindness."

"I'm sure that was just a misunderstanding." He argued.

Amanda sighed in exasperation.

"I'm sorry Doctor, but I'm not so sure. I have a bad feeling about all this….I think—" She started.

"HOW WOULD YOU KNOW!" He snapped angrily at her.

Amanda flinch away from him and at the look on her face, he immediately regretted it. Before he could apologies, she moved away from him, to the other side of the room to sit down, resting her shaking hands in her lap. She refused to look at him.

"You're right." She smiled softly, staring at the floor. "Do whatever you want. You seem to have everything figured out and under control." She said softly, slightly sarcastically.

The Doctor sighed in frustration at himself and wiped a hand down his face. Rose, who was also surprised at his actions chose this moment to put her last word in.

"They're not using her." Rose said with finality.

The Doctor rolled his eyes. But then, Gwyneth decided to speak up for herself.

"Don't I get a say, Miss?" She asked softly.

Everyone turned to look at her in surprise. In fact, none of them had even thought to ask her.

"Look, you don't understand what's going on." Rose tried.

"You would say that, Miss. Because that's very clear inside your head, that you think I'm stupid." Said Gwyn, though not in an accusing manner.

"That's not fair." Rose tried to defend herself.

"It's true though. Things might be different where you're from, but here and now, I know my own mind, and the angels need me." Gwyn replied. "Doctor, what do I have to do?"

He looked at Rose's put-off stance, then to Amanda who had her eyes closed calmly and then back to Gwyneth who was waiting expectantly.

"You don't _have_ to do anything." He offered.

"They've been singing to me sense I was a child, sent by my mum on holy mission. So tell me." Gwyn assured him of her decision, making him smile.

Amanda couldn't help but smile softly at Gwyneth. She really was a sweet girl. '_I really hope I'm wrong, Gwyn…..for both you and the Doctor's sake._' Amanda thought.

"We need to find the rift." The Doctor told Gwyn.

Then he turned to everyone else in determination. He was going to help the Gelth.

"This house is on a weak spot, so there must be a spot that's weaker than any other. Mr. Sneed, what's the weakest part of this house?" He asked. "The place where most of the ghosts have been seen."

Mr. Sneed thought for a moment and then answered.

"That would be the morgue."

"No chance you were going to say 'gazebo', is there." Rose said sarcastically as she plopped down next to Gwyn.

Amanda burst out laughing, good-naturedly at Rose's comment and shook her head.

"Come now Rose, the Doctor's involved. Why would it be something that boring?" She teased.

The Doctor smiled at her jest. This meant she wasn't _too_ upset with him. They all gathered and started to follow after Mr. Sneed towards the stairs that led down to the morgue. The Doctor held Amanda back just before the two of them went down.

"I'm sor—"

"It's fine. You don't have to." She cut him off with a smile.

"No, it's not." He told her.

She sighed and took his hand.

"Look. You lost your temper. It happens, I get it. Don't you dare, for one second, think that something as stupid as a petty disagreement is going to run me off, mister." She poked him in the chest for emphasis. "You'll have to try a hell of a lot harder than that to get rid of me. I'm not going to lie though, you did hurt my feelings….but I'll get over it. Okay?"

He nodded his head and the two of them headed down to join the others. When they were all down stairs, they took a moment to look around. It was rather cold and creepy. Cadavers on slabs, covered in white sheets, tools and saws were hanging on the walls and the smell was sickening.

"Ugh." Blanched the Doctor. "Talk about 'Bleak House'." He joked.

Rose still wasn't ready to give up and thought to try a different approach.

"The thing is, Doctor, the Gelth don't succeed. Because I know they don't. I know, for a fact, that corpses weren't walking around in 1869." She threw at him.

"Time's in flux, Rose, Changing every second. Even us just being here changes things." Amanda countered.

"Your cozy little world can be rewritten like, _that_." The Doctor added with the snap of his finger. "Nothing is safe. Remember that—nothing."

"Doctor," Charles called out nervously, gaining their attention. "I think the room is getting colder."

And in fact it was. As they all looked around and herd the sound of the gas creatures getting closer.

"Here they come." Warned Rose.

'_Thank you captain obvious._' Amanda thought sarcastically.

Not a second later, the gas creature they'd spoken to from before appeared in front of them and spoke with its own voice for once.

"_**You've come to help. Praise the Doctor, praise him."**_ It cheered in gratitude.

"Promise you won't hurt her." Demanded Rose.

The Gelth didn't even acknowledge she had spoken.

"_**Hurry, please—so little time. Pity the Gelth."**_ It rushed.

"Promise her, or this stops now!" Amanda snapped.

The bad feeling she felt from earlier was coming back full force almost making her feel sick.

"No!" Gwyn cried.

"I'll take you somewhere else after the transfer, somewhere you can build proper bodies." The Doctor spoke up, taking charge. "This isn't a permanent solution, all right?"

"My angels. I can help them live." Gwyn sighed adoringly.

"Okay, where's the weak point?" The Doctor asked.

Both Rose and Amanda huffed in annoyance but no one seemed to even notice that they still went unanswered.

"_**Here, beneath the arch."**_ It directed.

Gwyn immediately went where it had asked her to go and repeated what it said.

"Beneath the arch." She whispered.

Once she was standing in place, Rose ran up to her for one last attempt at changing her mind.

"You don't have to do this." She urged.

But Gwyn just touched Rose's cheeks and softly whispered…

"My angels."

Then, suddenly, she went stiff as a board and her eyes widened just like what happened during the séance. When Amanda saw this, she wiped her hand unconsciously beneath her eye and pulled it away to see that it was wet. She was crying, but she didn't understand why. No one else seemed to notice this though. Rose backed away reluctantly.

"_**Establish the bridge, reach out to the void, let us through."**_It commanded.

"Yes. I can see you. I Can See You. Come." Gwyneth beckoned them.

"_**Bridgehead establishing." **_It informed them.

"Come to me. Come to me. Come to this world, poor lost souls." Gwyn continued soothingly.

"_**It has begun. The bridge is made." **_It announced as Gwyn's mouth opened up to release the gas creatures. _**"She has given herself to the Gelth." **_

The room was quickly filling up with dozens of them.

"Rather a lot of them, eh?" Charles pointed out nervously.

"_**The bridge is open. We descend." **_It called out triumphantly.

Suddenly, the Gelth leader had its own 'flick of the switch' moment as its soft smile turned into an evil, malicious grin and the whole creature went from a soft blue to a violent red color. Gwyn's so called 'angels' turned out to be 'daemons' after all.

"_**The Gelth will come through in force." **_It said in glee, it's child-like voice taking on a slight growl.

"You said you were few in number!" Charles shouted angrily.

"_**A few billion."**_ It taunted them with a smug smirk. _**"And all of us in need of corpses."**_

The trio looked at each other, all three of them with a matching look of 'oh shit' on their faces as the Gelth started to force themselves into the dead bodies throughout the room. Which inconveniently, there were a lot of.

"Oh, Gwyneth. Stop this." Mr. Sneed called to her. "Listen to your master. This has gone far enough. Stop dabbling, child, and leave these things alone, I beg of you." He demanded.

Unfortunately, he didn't see one of the corpses sneak up behind him.

"Mr. Sneed, get back." Rose tried to warn him.

But it was too late. The possessed corpse grabbed on to him and held him in place while a Gelth forced itself down his throat, effectively killing him and taking over his body. The Doctor quickly pulled Rose away with Amanda, backing them all against a wall.

"I think it's gone a little bit wrong." He admitted.

Amanda scoffed and punched him in the arm.

"_I have joined the legion of the Gelth."_ Mr. Sneed rasped out. _"Come. March with us."_

"No." Whispered Charles in fright.

"_We need bodies. All of you, dead. The human race, dead."_ They chanted as they moved threateningly closer.

"Gwyneth, stop them! Send them back, now!" The Doctor shouted as he continued to back them up along the wall.

"_**Three more bodies—convert them, make them vessels for the Gelth."**_ The leader commanded, using Gwyneth's voice again.

"Doctor," Charles called out in panic, by the stairs. "I-I-I can't. I-I'm sorry." He stammered. "This new world of yours is too much for me. I'm so—"

He was cut off by the shriek of a Gelth that flew too close, scaring him enough to run up the stares, leaving them behind to make his escape. The Doctor pulled the girls farther away until they reach a metal-barred door that led to a prison cell-like room. He pushed them inside and slammed it shut.

"_Give yourself to glory."_ The possessed bodies shouted at them while trying to reach through the bars. _"Sacrifice your lives to the Gelth."_

"I trusted you. I pitied you!" The Doctor shouted in an angered sadness.

He had been taken advantage of. '_Stupid! Stupid! Why didn't I listen?_' He though as he grasped onto Amanda's hand. She squeezed it back reassuringly.

"_**We don't want your pity! We want this world and all its flesh." **_The leader taunted.

"Not while I'm alive." The Doctor challenged.

"_**Then live no more."**_ It answered.

"But I can't die." Rose said, trying to reassure herself. "Tell me I can't. I haven't even been born yet. It's impossible for me to die." She looked to the Doctor, panicked. "Isn't it?"

"I'm sorry." He apologized, sincerely.

"But it's 1860—how can I die now?" She asked franticly.

"Time isn't a straight line. It can twist into any shape." Amanda tried to explain.

"You can be born in the twentieth century and die in the nineteenth, and it's all my fault." The Doctor added, sadly. "I brought you here."

Rose sighed and closed her eyes in resignation.

"It's not your fault" She assured him. "I wanted to come."

"What about me?" The Doctor asked. "I saw the fall of Troy, World War V. I pushed boxes at the Boston Tea Party. Now I'm going to die in a dungeon…in Cardiff." He groaned.

"It's not just dying—going to become one of them." Rose added.

"Actually, Doctor…I think I've got you beat." Amanda said teasingly.

"How so?" He asked with a smirk.

"Well, not only am I about to die, not knowing who I am, where I come from, or what This thing is that I can do….But….. It's my birthday, remember." She laughed humorlessly.

The other two froze. They had completely forgotten that they were originally celebrating before all this had started.

"Oh, right." He said flatly.

"Meh. I'd say running from the Gelth kind of takes priority. And hey, I still got to meet Charles Dickens!" She said.

They all chuckled despite themselves and their situation.

"Well, I don't know about you two…but I don't plan on making it easy for them." Amanda added determinedly. "No one takes advantage of the Doctor and gets away with it. Not while I'm around."

"We'll go down fighting, yeah?" Rose asked.

"Yeah." The Doctor agreed.

"Together?" Amanda asked.

"Yeah." He answered as he squeezed her hand tighter and grabbed on to Rose's with his other, and then smiled down at her. "I'm so glad I met you."

"Me too." Rose admitted as she returned the smile. "You as well, Amanda."

"It's been awesome, Rose….you were awesome." Amanda replied.

The Doctor then turned to Amanda with a proud smile.

"And I'm so glad you fell into my life." He told her.

"Out of all the places I could have landed….I'm glad it was with you." She smiled and leaned up to plant a kiss onto his cheek with a smile. She looked at them both. "We were fantastic."

They braced themselves for what they were about to do, when suddenly, Charles appeared from out of nowhere and started rushing about.

"Doctor! Doctor! Turn off the flame, turn _up_ the gas!" He shouted franticly as he did exactly that to the nearby lamps. "Now fill the room—all of it, now!"

"What are you doing?" The Doctor asked in confusion.

"Turn it all on! Flood the place!" Charles yelled as he continued to rush about.

The Doctor's face lit up with realization.

"Brilliant—gas." He said excitedly.

Rose looked skeptical about the sanity of that option.

"What, so we choke to death instead?" She asked sarcastically.

"Am I correct Doctor?" Charles asked. "These creatures are gaseous."

"Fill the room with gas, it'll draw them out of the hosts, suck them into the air like poison from a wound." The Doctor explained gleefully.

The possessed bodies now turned to Charles and started moving slowly towards him.

"I hope. Oh. Oh, Lord." He stammered fearfully. "I hope this theory will be validated soon, if not immediately."

Plenty more." The Doctor shouted as he ripped a pipe from the wall, effectively pumping the room with gas faster.

The Gelth screamed, and screeched, and wailed as they were forcibly drawn from the bodies.

"It's working!" Amanda cheered.

The trio quickly exited the little barred room and ran over to Gwyn, both Rose and Amanda having to cover their mouths from the gas.

"Gwyneth, send them back! They lied, they're not angels." The Doctor commanded.

Gwyn looked at them in disappointment.

"Liars." She said softly.

"Look at me." He asked her. "If your mother and father could look down and see this, they'd tell you the same." He assured her. "They'd give you the strength. Now send them back!"

"I can't breathe." Rose coughed harshly.

"Charles, get them out." The Doctor ordered, without looking away from Gwyn.

"I'm not leaving her." Rose cried.

"And I'm not leaving you." Amanda Protested, stubornly to the Doctor.

"They're too strong." Gwyn whispered, tiredly.

"Remember that world you saw, Rose's world? All those people—none of it will exist unless you send them back through the rift." He urged her.

"I can't send them back." Gwyn replied, strained. "But I can hold them, hold them in this place, hold them here." She reached into her apron pocket and pulled out a box of matches. "Get out." She warned them.

Rose saw what Gwyn meant to do and rushed forward.

"You can't!" Rose screamed franticly, as the Doctor stopped her before she could reach her.

"Leave this place!" Gwyn commanded them.

"Rose, get out, go now. I won't leave her while she's still in danger. Now Go!" He ordered her as he shoved her towards the stairs. "You too, Amanda! Don't argue." He pleaded with her.

Amanda paused for just a second longer before she nodded in defeat and rushed up the stairs after the others, trying not to cry. The Doctor then held out his hand to Gwyneth, urging her to hand over the matches.

"Come on, leave that to me." He told her.

Gwyn wouldn't budge though. It was then that he looked into her eyes and the sad realization struck him. He walked up to her and placed his hand to her neck to feel the lack of a pulse.

"I'm sorry." He apologized, feeling guilty. He leaned forward to kiss her forehead. "Thank you." He said sadly as he rushed up the stairs.

He just barely managed to make it out of the building before it blew up behind him. Amanda wasted no time in running up to him and pulling him into a hug.

"She was dead the moment they established the bridge wasn't she?" She whispered so only he could hear and squeezed him tighter when she felt him nod.

She released him and stepped back to stare blankly at the fire as a tear slid slowly down her cheek. Rose stared at the Doctor in disbelief.

"She didn't make it." She realized.

"I'm sorry." He confirmed. "She closed the rift."

"At such a cost." Charles declared sadly. "The poor child."

"I did try, Rose, But Gwyneth was already dead. She had been for at least five minutes." The Doctor tried to explain.

"What do you mean?" Rose asked, confused.

"I think she was dead from the minute she stood in that arch." He reiterated.

"But she can't have. She spoke to us. She helped us. She saved us." Rose insisted. "How could she have done that?"

" 'There are more things in heaven and earth….than are dreamt of in your philosophy'." Charles quoted. "Even for you, Doctor."

"She saved the world….a servant girl. No one will ever know." Rose pointed out sadly.

"We'll know." Amanda said softly as they all stared at the fire in contemplation.

Slowly, the group started to make their way back to the TARDIS. Rose and Charles walked in front, chatting lightly as The Doctor and Amanda trailed behind them.

"Doctor?" Amanda whispered suddenly, catching his attention. "Earlier, before we ran for our lives, you said something that—you said 'Rose's world'. Why?" She asked curiously.

"Caught that did you." He joked hesitantly. "I have a theory."

"Care to elaborate?" She asked him.

"Not yet." He answered her honestly.

She sighed in resignation and nodded her head.

"Fine…." She said flatly. "…for now." She added playfully yet warningly.

They continued to walk in companionable silence until they reached their destination and perked up again. They were relieved to be back at the ship.

"Right then, Charlie boy, I've just got to go into my, um…..shed." The Doctor finished lamely. "Won't be long." He added jokingly as he fiddled with his key in the lock.

"What are you going to do now?" Rose asked Charles.

"I shall take the mail coach back to London. Quite literally post-haste." He replied happily.

"Oh! A pun by Dickens!" Amanda squealed to the Doctor. "Friggin awesome!"

He smiled at her cheerfulness.

"This is no time for me to be on my own." Charles continued joyfully. "I shall spend Christmas with my family and make amends to them. After all I've learned tonight, there can be nothing more vital."

"You've cheered up." The Doctor stated lightly, with a smile.

"Exceedingly!" Charles laughed. "This morning, I thought I knew everything in the world. Now I know I've just started." He claimed excitedly. "All these huge and wonderful notions, Doctor. I'm inspired. I must write about them."

"Do you think that's wise?" Rose asked skeptically, with a smirk.

"I shall be subtle—at first." He assured her. "The mystery of Edwin Drood still lacks an ending. Perhaps the killer was not the boy's uncle. Perhaps he was not of this earth." He explained with an eerie flair to his voice. " 'The Mystery of Edwin Drood And The Blue Elementals'. I can spread the word—tell the truth!" He added with vigor.

"Good luck with it." The Doctor encourage him as he shook his hand enthusiastically. "Nice to meet you. Fantastic."

"By then, and thanks." Rose said happily as she shook his hand as well and he smiled back.

"Oh, Charlie! I am so glad I had the opportunity to meet you in person!" Amanda said gleefully.

"Thank you, and a very Happy Birthday to you, by the way." He replied making her smile broaden in shock.

She and Rose glanced at each other and in silent agreement, they both leaned forward simultaneously and kissed his cheeks. They giggled to each other at the sight of his blush.

"Oh, my dears." He stammered in embarrassment. "How modern."

The Doctor glanced back at them, with one eyebrow raised.

"Thank you, but—I don't understand—In what way is _this_ goodbye?" Charles asked, confused. "Where are you going?"

"You'll see…In the 'shed'." The Doctor assured him as he made to step inside, followed by the girls.

"Oh, my soul. Doctor, it's one riddle after another with you." Charles chuckled and then became serious. "But after all these revelations, there's still one mystery you still haven't explained."

'_Here it comes._' Amanda smirked mentally.

"Answer me this…..Who are you?

The Doctor thought for a moment and then answered with a soft smile.

"Just a friend, passing through."

"But you have such knowledge of future times. I don't wish to impose on you, but I must ask you—" He inquired hesitantly. "—My books. Doctor, do they last?"

"Oh, yes." The Doctor answered encouragingly.

"For how long?" Charles wondered curiously.

"Forever." He assured him sincerely.

A look of pure elation and relief passed across Charles' face as he tried to remain humble at the same time. It was rather adorable to see.

"Right. Shed." Amanda said, indicating that they should leave. The Doctor went to open the door again. "Come on, Rose." Amanda beckoned.

"In—in the box?" Charles asked in shock. "All three of you?"

"Down, boy." The Doctor responded sternly, and then smirked, teasingly. "See ya." He chirped as he disappeared through the door.

The girls chuckled as they followed after him.

"Doesn't that change history," Rose asked as she took off her heeled boots once she'd closed the door. "If he writes about blue ghosts?"

Amanda smiled sadly back at her and shook her head.

"In a week's time, it's 1870, and that's the year he dies—" She replied.

"—Sorry. He'll never get to tell his story." The Doctor elaborated.

Rose frowned at the image of Charles Dickens standing patiently in the snow on the monitor.

"Oh, no! He was so nice." She sighed sadly.

"But in your time, he was already dead." The Doctor pointed out. "We've brought him back to life." He added figuratively with a shrug. "And he's more alive now than he's ever been, old Charlie boy. Let's give him one last surprise." He suggested.

Amanda smirked and bumped rose's shoulder playfully. They watched Charles' look of shock and awe on the monitor as they dematerialized. Off to their next adventure.

**Hope you enjoyed the update! Please review and let me know!**

**Just so everyone knows…I've just started the flex 2 spring-session of college so I'll now be balancing writing this and school papers at the same time (I'm only taking two classes thou…English Comp. & US History)…so if an update takes a little longer than a few days…that's why. I'm sending chapter 5 off to my beta soon, so once she's given it a look, I should have it posted pretty quick!**

***Reminder: I've posted a picture-link of Amanda's dress on my profile!***


	5. Alien Party Crashers Part 1

***So, here you go my lovely readers! Here's another chapter update just for you! Enjoy!**

***Major thank you(s) to ** 93, Cetacea-of-Time, Lexy Summers, sora0995, Velvetpru'd, Ahsilaa, Aki Hotaru 16, Tipper dehavilland , & fanfreak4ever **for the awesome reviews! They totally make my Day! **

***As for **Ahsilaa's **question (Even though I answered her through (PM)…I thought I'd put it here to just in case anyone else was wondering the same thing):** Basically... Amanda knows so much for two reasons. First being that if you remember from the first chapter "She was more of a people watcher than a socializer". This means that she pays attention to the "weird little details" more so than the average person. She watches the people around her and she observes her surroundings (be it either conscious or subconscious). Also, she loves to learn new things (and the Doctor loves to teach her because she actually listens)and because of her amnesia, there's space enough for the things she learns to actually stick in her head. Secondly, also involves her amnesia... she's from our world so she's technically already well versed in the ins and outs of the Who-niverse. The mind is a tricky thing and information tends to leek through every now and again. As for flying the TARDIS...she can't. She only follows the Doctor's directions. Like I said, when he tells her things, she generally remembers them. There are some buttons and switches that they use repeatedly so they're easier to remember more than others, but again...she only touches what she's told. I hope that helps to clear some things up for you! If not, please let me know so I can try to go into better detail. :)  
>P.s. Also, when she's not painting...she spends a lot of her down time in the TARDIS's library, reading to her hearts content.<p>

***Also, don't forget to check out my profile for picture-links (her outfit for this chapter is now posted***

**Impossible or Just Highly Unlikely**

_Alien Party Crashers_

*******TARDIS Console Room/Earth 2005(?)*******

The trio braced themselves as the TARDIS came to a shuddering stop and immediately started laughing.

"Well, that was a bumpy one, but at least we stayed standing this time." Rose said with a teasing smile.

"Right, then…..Earth, U.K., London, Powel Estates, 2005…..as requested." The Doctor spouted off.

"While we're here, you might want to grab some of your things, hun. Your clothes are starting to go bad." Amanda suggested offhandedly.

Rose saw that Amanda had the chance to shower at some point. Amanda was now wearing a pair of black flats, blue-jeans, and an off-the-shoulder short-sleeved white shirt with a mini, black, waist-coat/vest. Rose then looked down at herself and blanched. Her T-shirt, jacket and jeans were ragged and gross after wandering about the grimy sewer to find the Nesteen. The heat from Platform One had made her all sweaty. How she managed to pull off that 1860's look so well was beyond her. It felt like ages since she'd had a shower and she smelled like it too.

"Yeah, I suppose you're right." She agreed.

"So, go on, off you get." The Doctor said as he pushed Rose towards the doors.

Rose stepped outside, followed by the Doctor and Amanda, and glanced around at the familiar buildings. It was a little weird for her to be home after everything she just experienced. The Doctor was leaning against his 'Police Box' with his arms crossed nonchalantly and Amanda wandered around a few feet away with her hands in her pockets.

"How long have I been gone?" Rose asked.

"About twelve hours." He replied, with a smug grin.

Rose laughed in disbelief. You've got to love time travel.

"Oh, right, I won't be long. I'm just going to pop up and see my mum." Rose announced.

"What are you going to tell her?" The Doctor asked out of curiosity.

"I don't know. I've been to the year five billion and only been gone, what, twelve hours?" Rose offered sarcastically.

The Doctor rolled his eyes in good-nature.

"No, I'll just tell her I spent the night at Shareen's." She added flippantly.

"You know, technically" Amanda corrected. "It was the year 5.5/APPLE/26, five billion years in _your_ future, meaning, from _now_, so you'd have to also count the years that have already been, making it, approximately; five billion two thousand five…unless of course you want to mess with A.D. vs B.C…then it…umm…" She trailed off, blushing sheepishly when she noticed their blank stares. "Right, sorry…ignore me."

Rose turned back to the Doctor with a chuckle and waved as she ran off.

"See yeah later." She called over her shoulder, then, as an afterthought, she turned around to walk backwards as she pointed at them. "Oh, and don't you two go disappearing." She warned them playfully.

The Doctor just smirked at her and nodded.

"Wouldn't dream of it, sweetheart." Amanda said in a mock, mothering voice. "Now scoot!"

Rose laughed as she disappeared around the corner. Amanda continued to wonder around and soon the Doctor was following her lead. He had just kicked at a piece of trash on the ground when he heard Amanda's shaky voice call out to him. She had wandered over to look at a sheet of paper that was stapled up to a telephone pole.

"Um, Doctor? I think we might have a problem." She sighed in exasperation.

When he read the flier, his eyes went wide. Quickly, they both ran as fast as they could in the direction of Rose's flat. They arrived just in time to see Rose's mother hugging her daughter in relieved disbelief while Rose hugged her back in shocked confusion, having just noticed the stacks of 'Missing' fliers with her face on them. Both women looked up in surprise when Amanda and the Doctor burst through the door.

"Um, it's not twelve hours, it's, uh, twelve months." The Doctor rushed out sheepishly.

"You've been gone a whole year." Amanda clarified apologetically. "Sorry."

They both glanced at Rose's mother and let out hesitant, embarrassed chuckles, like two kids who knew they were in deep trouble but tried to act innocent anyways.

*******TIME SKIP/35 Minutes/Rose's Living Room*******

They had all been sitting in the Tyler's living room with a police officer, listening to Rose's mother, Jackie rant and rave for a while now. Rose was on a couch by herself managing to look both guilty and annoyed, the officer sat in a chair, opposite her, taking notes and trying to understand the situation, while Jackie paced around the room in frustration.

Amanda sat in the middle chair that the Doctor was sitting on the arm of, with her leg tucked beneath her as she rested her head on his lap. She was tired of listening and Jackie's voice was starting to grate on her nerves, so she lifted the Doctor's hand and placed it over her exposed ear to try and block it out. He knew how she felt and indulged her for a while, before he absentmindedly started to play with strands of her hair. Rose noticed this and smirked before becoming serious again when her mother's attention turned back to her.

"The hours I've sat here! Days and weeks and months, all on my own." Jackie continued to bombast, laying it on thick. "I thought you were dead. And where were you? 'Traveling'. What the hell does that mean, 'traveling'? That's no sort of answer." She turned her focus to the officer and demanded, "You ask her. She won't tell me. That's all she says, 'traveling'."

Poor Rose was so overwhelmed.

"That's what I was doing." She insisted to her mother.

"With your passport still in the drawer?" Jackie countered, and then snapped, angrily. "It's just one lie after another."

"I meant to phone, I really did, I just—forgot." Rose tried, lamely.

"What, for a year? You forgot for a year? And I am left sitting here?" Jackie asked incredulously. "I just don't believe you." She sighed. "Why won't you tell me where you've been?"

"Actually, it's my fault." The Doctor admitted with a guilty yet smiling face. "I sort of, uh, employed Rose as our companion."

The officer spoke up then, to try and clarify what the Doctor was saying.

"When you say 'companion', is this a sexual relationship between the three of you?" He asked.

Amanda snapped her head up in shock and the trio answered in unison.

"NO!" They scoffed.

"Honestly, why is that always everyone's first assumption?" Amanda asked the Doctor in innocent confusion.

He was just as confused though.

"Then what is it?" Jackie asked. "Because you two, you waltz in here, all charms and smiles, and the next thing I know, she vanishes off the face of the earth. How old are you then, 40, 45?" She snaps in disgust and gestured to Amanda. "I see you like'm young. Do you collect them or what?"

Amanda couldn't help but chuckle at that question but then immediately sobered and flinched away when Jackie rounded on her.

"And you, young lady, do your parents even know where you are either?"

'_Actually, I don't even remember them and they've forgotten that I even exist, but thanks for bringing it up._' Amanda thought bitterly and then through back at Jackie…

"They're dead actually, but, yeah, thanks for asking." She retorted sarcastically, with a sweet smile.

Only the Doctor and Rose knew that wasn't the truth. Jackie paused for a moment, looking taken aback, before she turned back to yell at the Doctor some more.

"So, what, did you find them on the internet? Did you go online and pretend you're a doctor?

"I am a doctor." He insisted at the same time Amanda stood up and also said, "He is a doctor!"

"Prove it." Jacky challenged, getting in his face. "Stitch this, mate."

She was about to slap him, but Amanda caught her wrist in mid-swing, gripping it tightly. Amanda then, with a calm face and soft voice, leaned towards Jackie's ear so that only she could hear, and whispered a warning before she released her.

"Try laying a hand on him like that again and he'll get to 'prove it' by stitching _you. _Got that, sweetheart?" She then turned to the officer once Jackie backed away in shock. "Now, officer, as you can see, everything is fine. Both Rose and I are healthy, happy, and unharmed. Need I also point out that we are _legal_ adults, capable of making our own decisions? We're sorry we had everyone worrying over Rose, but I assure you that it was unintentional. Thank you for coming over so quickly, but this appears to have been a waste of your time." She gestured to the hallway with a smile. "I'll walk you to the door."

Rose made eye contact with a smirking Doctor for a brief moment and mouthed 'wow'. She then got up and walked over to her mother who embraced her in a hug.

"Did you think about me at all?" Jackie sniffled, mid-hug.

Rose started to get a bit teary-eyed herself. She really did feel horrible for making her mother worry so much.

"I did. All the time, but…."Rose started to reply.

"One phone call—just to know that you were alive." Her mother added.

"I'm sorry." Rose sniffled. "I really am."

"Do you know what terrifies me is that you still can't say." Jackie admitted worriedly. "What happened to you Rose? What can be so bad that you can't tell me sweetheart? Where were you?" She whined.

Rose just couldn't bring herself to answer. She didn't even know where to start.

Eventually, after Rose had a chance to get cleaned up and change her clothes, the trio left Jackie alone for a bit and went to sit up on the roof. Rose sat Indian-style on top of a wall, while the Doctor leaned leisurely against it with his arms crossed, and Amanda sat on the ground beneath them with her arms wrapped around her knees. Poor Rose was so conflicted about the whole situation.

"That was….wow. Where did you learn to take control of a confrontation like that?" Rose asked Amanda.

Amanda thought about it for a moment before she shrugged her shoulders.

"I don't know….I just can." She replied nonchalantly. "What was the point in continuing the argument? Everyone was just getting more stressed and that poor officer looked too confused to be of much use, nor was he actually needed. We haven't committed a crime, only an inconvenience. I mean, it was just an accidental miscalculation of the time coordinate settings...simple mistake. You still ended up home, right?"

Rose shook her head with a disbelieving smile.

"Well, if for some reason you ever have to get a 'normal' job, you could always go into something related to customer service. You'd be good at it…that whole, dealing with complaints and solving potential problems, thing." Rose offered jokingly.

"I guess. Who knows, maybe that's what I did before I got here…." Amanda let out a thoughtful 'huh' and then added apologetically, "Sorry I couldn't work my 'magic' on your mom."

"I can't tell her. I can't even begin... She's never going to forgive me." Rose started to complain.

"What, you mean your mom doesn't love you?" Amanda asked casually.

"Of course she does!" Rose replied in a huff.

"Then don't say such stupid things. Of course she'll forgive you. Just give her some time to cool off." Amanda retorted with a smirk.

Rose was quiet as she contemplated this for a moment before she turned to The Doctor.

"So, I missed a year?" She asked him. "Was it good?"

"Middling." He replied flippantly.

Rose rolled her eyes and faced away again.

"You're so useless." She sighed.

Amanda chuckled at this until The Doctor nudged her with his foot to 'hush', and then she snickered quietly to herself and leaned her head against his legs. She stiffened though, when he spoke up again, asking Rose a question.

"Well, if it's this much trouble, are you going to stay here now?"

"I don't know." She responded thoughtfully with a sigh. "I can't do that to her again, though."

"Well she's not coming with us." The Doctor said with finality.

"Oh, God no!" Amanda begged in agreement, and then added, "No offense Rose."

Instead of being offended, Rose just laughed.

"No chance." She agreed.

"I don't do families." The Doctor added with the slightest hint of a smile.

Amanda joined in with Rose, the two of them, laughing together.

"Now that would definitely be domestic." Amanda joked.

"She tried to slap you!" Rose teased the Doctor.

"Nine hundred years of time and space, and I've never had an attempted slap by someone's mother." He complained.

"The look on your face!" She continued to taunt him.

"It would have hurt." He defended himself in a whiny voice.

"You're so gay." Rose laughed making the Doctor huff like an offended child. "You're lucky Amanda was quick enough to stop her." She then leaned over to see said person. "Though, I think you freaked her out a bit when you did that." She added.

Amanda rolled her eyes.

"No one harms the Doctor while I'm around…..not even _you_ Rose and especially not your mom. Besides, I like his face just the way it is, thank you very much." Amanda warned good-naturedly.

The Doctor smirked down at her playfully, but Amanda could also see a slight hint of… 'Is that _guilt? What isn't he telling me?_'

Rose then thought about what the Doctor had said a moment ago and decided to ask about it.

"When you say nine hundred years….."

"That's my age." He replied mater-of-factly.

"You're nine hundred years old?" she asked skeptically.

"Yeah." Amanda confirmed as if it was no big deal.

Rose looked thoughtful for a moment before she jokingly commented.

"My mum was right, that's one _hell _of an age gap."

Amanda burst out laughing again making the other two smile. Rose then hopped down from the wall with a soft "Oof" and stepped towards the edge a bit.

"Every conversation with you two just goes mental." She sighed in contemplation. "There's no one else I can talk to. I've seen all that stuff up there, the size of it, and I can't say a word. Aliens and spaceships and things, and….I'm the only person on planet earth who knows they exist."

Just then, a loud horn that sounded like a river barge went off franticly, as a smoking spaceship flew over their heads (just barely missing them) moving jaggedly towards the center of London. They watched as it swung around and clipped the side of Big Ben before it crash-landed into the Thames.

"Sooo…..You were saying?" Amanda asked cheekily.

"Oh, that's just not fair." Rose said blankly making both Amanda and the Doctor snicker.

Their snickering quickly turned into excited laughter as they both grabbed onto one of Rose's hands and dragged her towards the stairs so they could check it out. Rose couldn't help but smile herself as she let them pull her along.

They ran the whole way there, but as they got closer they could see they were going to have a problem. Cars were stopped everywhere along the surrounding area, making a traffic-jam and even closer to the seen they saw that the military had already formed a blockade.

"It's blocked off." Amanda huffed in disappointment.

"We're miles from the center." Rose pointed out as she tried to catch her breath. "The scene must be gridlocked. The whole of London must be closing down."

Both the Doctor and Amanda were grinning brightly.

"I can't believe I'm here to see this." The Doctor said enthusiastically. "This is fantastic!"

"I know, right?" Amanda squealed as she bounced excitedly in place and shook Rose's arm.

"Did you know this was going to happen?" Rose asked the Doctor.

"Nope" He answered with a smile.

"Do you recognize the ship?" She continued.

"Nope." He responded in the same way.

"Do you know why it crashed?" She tried.

But again, he answered with a cheerful smile.

"Nope."

"Oh, I'm so glad I got you." Rose sighed sarcastically.

"I bet you are." He agreed. Rose then looked to Amanda and asked, using air-quotes.

"What about you? Did you '_know_' this was going to happen?"

"Trust me, If I had '_known_' (she mimicked Rose's air-quotes) that this was going to happen, I would have had us get here before it crashed so we could avoid this mess." Amanda scoffed, gesturing to all the cars.

"This is what I—well, Amanda and I travel for, Rose, to see history happening right in front of us." The Doctor piped in.

"Well, let's go see it." Rose suggested. "Never mind the traffic, we've got the TARDIS."

"Mmmm, we better not." Amanda reluctantly disagreed.

Rose looked at them questioningly so the Doctor elaborated.

"They've already got one spaceship in the middle of London. I don't want to shove another one on top."

"Yeah, but yours looks like a big blue box." Rose argued, somewhat confused. "No one is going to notice."

"Ha! You'd be surprised." Amanda countered. "Emergency like this—"

"—There'll be all kinds of people watching." The Doctor added.

Amanda nudged Rose playfully.

"Humans are oblivious but not _that_ oblivious. Especially not at a time like this." She pointed out with a chuckle.

"Why do you talk like that?" Rose asked curiously.

"Like what?" Amanda tilted her head to the side in confusion.

"You say 'humans' sometimes, like you don't count yourself as one of us." Rose elaborated.

Amanda smiled innocently and shrugged her shoulders.

"I suppose it's just a habit I picked up while traveling with the Doctor." She explained. "It's kind of second nature now with the way he talks. It's not like I'm misanthropic or anything, humans—well, us—we're a cool species…." She started to trail off to try and keep herself from babbling.

The Doctor noticed and tried to pick up from where they left off earlier.

"Trust me, the TARDIS stays where it is." He said with finality.

Amanda smiled at him gratefully and he nodded back at her.

"So, history's happening and we're stuck here." Rose summed up disappointedly.

"Yes we are." The Doctor confirmed while craning his neck to peer over everything, trying to get at least a glimpse.

The trio stood around for a moment before Rose spoke up again.

"We could always do what everybody else does." She suggested nonchalantly.

Amanda and the Doctor looked at her curiously, waiting for her to continue.

"We could watch it on TV."

They both looked confused. That wasn't something either of them would have thought of.

"Huh….I don't think I've watched TV sense the day I woke up on the TARDIS." Amanda thought out loud.

"Really?" Rose asked, shocked.

"Well there's never really been a need with him." Amanda answered, gesturing to the Doctor. "He keeps me entertained and informed plenty."

The three of them then turned around and made their way back to Rose's flat. When they got there, the Doctor immediately took control of the remote and plopped himself down in front of the little box to watch the news. Amanda sat on the arm of his chair and Rose sat on the next chair over. Jackie was visiting with a neighbor she had invited over.

_BBC NEWS 24: __**"Big Ben destroyed as a UFO crash-lands in central London. Police reinforcements are being drafted from across the country to control widespread panic, looting, and civil disturbance. A state of National Emergency has been declared. Tom Hitchinson is at the scene."**_

The picture switched to a male reporter who was close to the chaos. He started to describe what he was seeing and was informing everyone about a helpline to find out about loved ones. The Doctor, then switched the channel to a different network. An American news woman appeared on screen.

_AMNN: "__**The military are on the lookout for more spaceships. Until then, all flights in North American air space have been grounded."**_

The Doctor switched it back to the first channel again. It showed a small boat in the Thames, making its way to the craft.

_BBC NEWS 24: __**"The Army are sending divers into the wreck of the spaceship. No one knows what they're going to find."**_

Then back again.

_AMNN: __**"The President will address the nation live from the White House, but the Secretary General has asked that people watch the skies."**_

Amanda sighed in boredom.

"This is definitely not as much fun." She complained.

The Doctor nodded his head in agreement but kept watching anyways. Jackie, who had gone into the kitchen, came back out to rant to her friend, carrying a mug of tea.

"I've got no choice." She started.

"You've broken your mother's heart." The little Asian woman piped in.

Nether women seemed to notice that no one was listening to them.

"Either I make the two of them welcome, or I run the risk of never seeing you again." Jackie complained to Rose as she handed her the mug.

The Asian woman continued to rant incoherently in the background. They were really starting to get annoying.

"Oi, I'm trying to listen." The Doctor whined.

Just then, the door-bell went off. Apparently Jackie had invited even more people over.

_BBC NEWS 24: __**"The news has just come in. We can go to Tom at the embankments."**_

_Tom: __**"They've found a body."**_

Both the Doctor and Amanda perked up at this.

"Oh, poor thing." Amanda sighed with a frown.

_Tom: __**"It's unconfirmed, but I'm being told that a body has been found in the wreckage, a body of non-terrestrial origins. It's being brought ashore.**_

The flat was quickly filling up and getting even noisier. Amanda and the Doctor had to strain their ears to hear the reporter.

_Tom: __**"A body of some sort's been found inside the wreckage of the spacecraft."**_

"Oh, guess who asked me out?" Jackie rhetorically asked the room in a cheerful, obnoxious voice. "Billy Croot."

Amanda rolled her eyes in annoyance. She and the Doctor leaned closer to the TV in attempts to block the others out. Poor Rose didn't really know what to do with everyone complaining around her. It was all a bit hectic.

_Tom: __**"Unconfirmed reports say that the body is of extraterrestrial origin. An extraordinary event unfolding here live in central London. The body is being transferred to a secure UNIT mortuary, the whereabouts as yet unknown."**_

The channels suddenly changed several times before they settled on a cooking network where a man was showing people how to decorate a spaceship-cake. Amanda looked at the Doctor in confusion and couldn't stop herself from laughing. A little boy had climbed onto his lap and had managed to steal the remote. The poor Doctor was now trying to wrestle it back from him. The whole scene was way too adorable. The Doctor looked to her for assistance. She gave him a soft smile and managed to gently remove the remote from the giggling boy's grasp. She then traded the Doctor the remote for the boy. She happily sat him on her lap and playfully tickled his sides making him giggle even more. The Doctor was able to switch the TV back to the news but gave Amanda a sad smile as he watched her playing with the boy from the corner of his eye.

He knew how much she loved children, but unfortunately, according to the scan he'd done when she first arrived, she was unable to have any of her own. They weren't sure if she'd been this way before she arrived or if it was a side effect. Either way, she could never be a mother and he knew it made her unhappy even if she never complained.

He shook the thought away and refocused his attention back to the news report.

_BBC NEWS 24/Tom: __**"Albian Hospital. We still don't know whether it's alive or dead. Whitehall is denying everything. But the body has been brought here, Albian Hospital, with the roads closed off, it's the closest to the river."**_

Amanda had set the boy back down and was once again chuckling as he seemed to be determined to get attention from the Doctor. He stood in front of the screen until the Doctor was able to convince the kid to move off.

"Go on." He urged him.

The boy grew bored and finally went back to his mother.

_Tom: __**"I'm being told that—General Asquith is now entering the hospital."**_

The scene showed a big man with a no-nonsense expression on his face and wearing a military uniform, get out of a police cruiser with a few other officers and entered the building.

_Tom: "__**The building's been evacuated. The patients have been moved onto the streets."**_

"Well that's not right." Amanda frowned disapprovingly. "At least transport them somewhere else."

The Doctor patted her knee in comfort.

_Tom: __**"The police still won't confirm the presence of an alien body contained inside those walls."**_

The Doctor switched the channels to another news report about 10 Downing Street.

_Reporter: __**"Mystery still surrounds the whereabouts of the Prime Minister. He's not been seen since the emergency began. Toe Opposition are criticizing his lack of leadership and—Hold on."**_

A car pulled up to the front door of the government building and a plump man in a suit stepped out to head inside. He looked a bit shifty and nervous which was to be expected under the circumstances.

Amanda stood up and started to make her way to the door. The Doctor was too focused on the TV to notice. Rose saw her though and gave her a questioning look.

"I'm just going to step outside for some air." Amanda assured her. "It's getting a bit crazy in here and truthfully...I'm a bit bored."

Rose nodded and turned her attention back to the room.

_Reporter: __**"Oh, that's Joseph Green, MP for Hartley Dale. He's chairman of the Parliamentary Commission on the monitoring of sugar standards in exported confectionery. With respect, hardly the most important person right now." **_

After a few minutes the Doctor looked around and noticed that Amanda wasn't there. He assumed she must have gone to the bathroom and decided to take the opportunity to do a little investigating. He managed to sneak out of the flat and started to make his way down to the TARDIS. He didn't get six feet from the door before Rose came out.

"And where do you think you're going?" She demanded.

"Nowhere." He answered innocently. "It's, uh, just a bit human in there for me. History just happened, and their talking about where you can buy Dodgy Top-Up Cards for half-price. "

Rose gave him a suspicious 'oh really' look.

"I'm off on a wander, that's all." He insisted.

"Right. There's a spaceship on the Thames, and you're just 'wandering'." She challenged him.

"Nothing to do with me." He assured her. "It's not an invasion. That was a genuine crash landing. Angle of descent, color of smoke, everything—it's perfect."

"So…." Rose began.

"So maybe this is it— first contact, the day mankind officially comes into contact with an alien race." He said excitedly. "I'm not interfering 'cause you've got to handle this on your own. That's when the human race finally grows up. Just this morning, you were all tiny and small and made of clay. Now you can expand!" He laughed cheerfully. "You don't need me. Go and celebrate history. Spend some time with your mum."

He smiled and turned to leave but stopped when Rose called out.

"Promise you won't disappear?"

He sighed and rolled his eyes turning back around to face her. Then he had an idea. He pats down his pockets in search of something. He found it, a key to the TARDIS, and handed it to her.

"Tell you what. A TARDIS key—Amanda has one and it's about time you had one too. See you later." He said with a big grin and quickly walked away before she could stop him again.

Feeling a little more assured that he wouldn't leave her behind; she let him go without farther protest. After all, he wouldn't leave without Amanda, right?

As the Doctor made his way down the back alley towards the TARDIS, he could hear people partying on their balconies. He couldn't help but hope Amanda wouldn't be too upset with him, but it would just be a quick trip. When he got to the door, he looked around to make sure the cost was clear and stepped inside. He hadn't notice that up on a nearby balcony, Mickey Smith had indeed spotted him.

Once he'd closed the doors, before he could turn towards the console, he jumped when he heard a familiar teasing voice.

"Took you long enough." Amanda taunted him and chuckled when she saw that she had made him jump.

He quickly whipped his head around and stared at her in surprise. She was leaning against the console with her arms crossed, smirking.

"What are you doing here?" He asked her.

She rolled her eyes at him.

"Well I do kind of live here." She answered.

He shook his head to right his thoughts again.

"I mean what are you doing here _right now_?" He reiterated.

"Oh please." She scoffed. "A spaceship just crashed in the center of London and you expected me to believe you were content with watching it on the Telly? You insult me Doctor." She accused. "I know you better than that. How could you resist?"

"Well…..I…" He started.

"I can't believe you were trying to have fun without me." She whined in mock offense.

"I was just going to take a quick trip and I figured you wouldn't mind. You should go and celebrate with Rose." He defended.

"Doctor. Did you really just suggest that I 'hang out' in Rose's flat with her mother who hates us, and her mother's friends who talk about nothing even remotely interesting while you go and have fun sneaking around a heavily guarded hospital to investigate the body of a supposed alien?" She asked calmly with a straight face.

He stared at her for a moment before his face flipped into a bright smile.

"Right. Sorry. Silly me. Let's go then!" He responded excitedly.

"Ha! Thought so." She said just as excited.

The two of them started to move around the console, flipping switches and such to move the TARDIS to the hospital. At one point, she started to get a little finicky and smoked. The Doctor reached for his trusty mallet, gave her a few whacks and kissed it before he set it down to flick some more switches. Amanda frowned at him.

"Was that really necessary?" She reprimanded him.

"Oh, hush. She doesn't mind." He replied dismissively making Amanda roll her eyes in exasperation.

A few seconds later, they rematerialized into a tight space somewhere in the hospital. The Doctor stepped out first to see that they were in a storage room and the ships doors were partially blocked by a big box. He turned back to the doors to tell Amanda but she had already stepped out backwards to lock the door behind her not realizing they would be squished tightly together. The Doctor was now pressed against her back while she was pressed against the doors. She glanced up at him over her shoulder with a blush.

"Well, this isn't awkward at all." She whispered sarcastically.

He smiled at her apologetically.

"Maybe if you just…." He tried.

The Doctor put his hand around her front to try and help to wriggle her free but he miscalculated his aim. She squeaked and swatted his hand away.

"Watch it!" She yelped.

He immediately pulled his hand back with a blush as though it had been burned. He tried putting his hands lower but they just ended up on her hips instead, which really wasn't any better. Amanda couldn't take it anymore and started to wiggle her way out on her own which only made it awkward for him, but she did manage to get herself out successfully. They both sighed in relief before Amanda turned around and smacked his arm.

"Owe." He winced. "What was that for?"

"You could have just let me open the doors again and then moved!" She whisper shouted.

He looked at her dead-paned, feeling rather foolish.

"Right, so…. Off we go then." He replied quickly, trying to brush the moment off and turned to unlock the storage door with the sonic.

Amanda just rolled her eyes and shook her head with a slight smile. When he activated the screwdriver, it was really loud.

"Shhh." He reprimanded it, making Amanda chuckle softly.

"You dork." She teased, making him 'shh' her with a playful smile too.

He tried it again and this time it was softer. After, the tell-tale popping click, they slipped through the door into the next room only to come face to face with a group of shocked soldiers. Next thing they knew, they were being held at gun-point.

"Friggin-A." Amanda sighed.

Before anyone could start asking them questions, a woman screamed off in the distance and the Doctor took immediate action.

"Defense plan DELTA." He shouted as he moved towards the sound of the scream.

Amanda smirked at his retreating back; she loved it when he took control of a situation like that. The soldiers looked at each other, unsure of whether or not to listen to him. She huffed in frustration and shouted at them as she chased after him.

"Come on, move your asses!"

Immediately they jumped into action and followed them. They all ran down the corridor heading to a doorway that was labeled as the 'Mortuary'. Inside, there was an Asian woman in a lab coat, huddled in the corner with a gun in her hand and a look of fear and shock on her face.

"It's alive." She whispered to them.

"Spread out. Tell the perimeter it's a lock down." The Doctor commanded the soldiers who looked reluctant to do what he said.

"Oh my God, it's still alive." The women kept repeating in shock.

"Do it!" Amanda snapped at them.

They finally complied. Amanda then ran up to the woman, and crouched in front of her, taking notice of a small cut on her forehead.

"I swear it was dead." The woman insisted.

"Tosh, are you okay sweetheart?" Amanda asked her in a concerned, soothing voice.

The woman looked at her in confusion at the use of her nick-name.

"Crap! Sorry, I did it again." Amanda apologized nervously.

The Doctor saved her from having to explain by sticking to the task at hand.

"Coma, shock, hibernation, anything. What does it look like?" He asked urgently.

Suddenly, the sound of something metal rattling came from a corner on the other side of the room.

"It's still here." The Doctor realized.

Amanda jumped up before he could stop her and carefully made her way over to the corner the sound came from. She couldn't help herself, she was curious. It was just too exciting.

"Amanda!" He snapped, but she waved him off.

He turned to the door and waved for a soldier to back them up. Amanda crouched down by an overturned cabinet and slowly peered around the side. The Doctor was watching closely from behind her, ready to pull her away if he had to.

"Hey there, cutie." Amanda greeted the creature softly with a smile.

Curious as to what she was seeing, the Doctor peered over her shoulder. It was a pig in a jumpsuit.

"Hello." The Doctor said with a cheerful smile.

Unfortunately, it spooked the poor creature and the Doctor had to grab Amanda around the stomach and pull her back before it could knock her over as it ran away, squealing in fear. They quickly scrambled to their feet to chase after it. The soldier cocked his rifle, ready to fire as it approached.

"Don't shoot!" Amanda shouted manically, fearing for the poor thing.

Luckily, he backed off and let the creature run past. Unfortunately, it was too fast and made it around the corner before they could tell the other soldiers the same thing. Amanda's heart clenched when she heard the loud crack of a gun going off, followed by a pained squeal. When she rounded the corner, it was too late and she saw it sprawled on the floor.

"NO!" She shouted as she ran to it, dropping to the floor at its side.

"What did you do that for?" The Doctor asked the soldier angrily. "It was scared!" He crouched down on its other side.

Amanda brought her hand, delicately, to the side of the creature's face and smoothed her thumb across its cheek in a calming gesture.

"Shhh…..Sshhhh, it's okay sweetheart…..Just sleep…..Shhhh….." She spoke soothingly.

The Doctor reached down to stroke its snout as it let out its last breath. A single tear slipped down Amanda's cheek. She let it fall before she stood up and looked up at the soldier with a glare.

"You people and your STUPID GUNS!" She snapped. "He was just scared. He wasn't trying to harm anyone. He wasn't even armed!"

The soldier actually managed to look ashamed of himself. Amanda, sighed in frustration and looked to the Doctor with watery eyes.

"Why couldn't I '_see_' this?" She whispered to him, angry with herself. "I could have saved him."

He stood up and wrapped her in a hug.

"You can't save everyone." He whispered back. "I should know."

"But…" She tried.

"Please." He cut her off. "Don't let yourself get obsessed. It will drive you mad. You'll only end up hurting yourself." He implored.

All she could do was nod her head in agreement for which he was grateful. They then had the soldiers help them carry the body back to the morgue where Dr. 'Tosh' was waiting. They placed it on a slab and Amanda shooed them away so she and the Doctor could have a look and ask 'Tosh' some questions. They did their best to explain the situation to her, the Doctor doing most of the talking.

"I just assumed that's what aliens looked like." Tosh tried to understand. "But you're saying it's an ordinary pig, from Earth?"

"More like a mermaid." The Doctor corrected.

She looked at him questionably so he elaborated.

"Victorian showman use to draw the crowds by taking the scull of a cat, glue it to a fish, and calling it a mermaid."

"If anyone tried that now-a-days, people would label them as psychopath….or would that be sociopath…..either way…" Amanda scoffed in disapproval. "Someone's taken a pig, opened up its brain, stuck bits on….now, I'm by no means a doctor, but even I can tell by those scans and x-rays, that this poor creature was practically mutilated. Then they strapped it in that ship, made it dive-bomb—it must have been terrified. They've taken this poor animal and turned it into a joke." She finished, angrily, clenching her fists until her knuckles turned white.

The Doctor placed a hand on her shoulder and squeezed it to calm her down, though he was just as upset himself.

"So it's a fake, a pretend, like the mermaid. But the technology augmenting its brain—" Started Dr. Tosh, not noticing the two strangers slip away from the room. "—it's like nothing on Earth. It's alien. Aliens are faking aliens. Why would they do that?" She asked, looking up in confusion, only to see that they were gone. "Doctor…..Ma'am?"

The Doctor and Amanda were making their way back to the TARDIS. No one paid them any attention now and this time they made sure to take turns entering to avoid getting stuck again. Tosh ran out to the hallway in search of them, but they were nowhere to be seen. Off in the distance, she could hear the faint sound of something whooshing and whirring, and then nothing.

*******The Tyler's Flat*******

Meanwhile, pitiable Rose was still stuck in her flat having to listen to the meaningless drabbles and occasional reprimanding of her mother's friends. Amanda and the Doctor were taking longer than she thought they would and she was starting to worry.

"Here's to the Martians." Jackie toasted and everyone but Rose cheered.

Suddenly, the room became quiet and Rose looked around to see that Mickey had just entered the flat in shock.

"I was gonna come and see you." Rose said quickly.

He slowly walked towards her, as if he didn't trust his own eyes.

"Someone owes Mickey an apology." The little old Asian woman scolded.

"I'm sorry." Rose said softly.

"Not you." The woman corrected and looked up at Jackie who looked sheepish.

"Well, it's not my fault." Jackie countered. "Be fair. What was I supposed to think?"

People were starting to stare so the three of them decided to go into the kitchen.

"You disappear—who do they turn to?" Mickey asked rhetorically. "Your boyfriend. Five times I was taken in for questioning—" He ranted, holding up four fingers. "—five times. No evidence—of course, there couldn't be, could there? And then I get her," he gestured to Jackie, "your mother, whispering around the estate, pointing the finger, stuff through my letter box, and all 'cause of you." He huffed.

"I didn't think I'd be gone so long." Rose tried to apologize.

He whipped around to face her again with an angry expression and snapped.

"And—and I waited for you, Rose, twelve months," his anger turned into a wine, "waiting for you and that woman, and the Doctor to come back."

This caught Jackie's attention and now it was her turn to snap at Mickey.

"Hold on. You knew about that woman and the Doctor?" She accused him.

"Her name is Amanda." Rose sighed tiredly, but they both ignored her.

"Why didn't you tell me?" Jackie demanded from Mickey.

Now Mickey became defensive and paranoid. He closed the little window to the living room so no one could hear them.

"Yeah, yeah. Why not, Rose, huh?" He started as he closed the door for good measure. "How could I tell her where you went?"

"Tell me now." Jackie asked him, worriedly.

Mickey smirked at them as if he had the upper-hand, like he knew some big secret.

"I might as well," he said to Jackie, then turned to Rose, " 'cause you're stuck here. The Doctor's gone. Just now, that box thing just faded away."

"What do you mean?" Rose asked in confusion, not wanting to believe him.

"He's left you." He said triumphantly. "Some boyfriend he turned out to be."

Rose quickly leaped towards the door and ran from the flat heading straight to where the Doctor had parked the TARDIS. Mickey chased after her to gloat. When they got there, Rose walked around in circles, disappointed, trying to make sense of why it wasn't there. She spoke her thoughts out loud.

"He wouldn't just go. He promised me."

"Oh, he's dumped you, Rose, sailed off into space. How does it feel, huh?" Mickey threw at her. "Now you are left behind with the rest of us Earthlings. Get used to it."

Rose was still confused and refused to think that he would just leave. Neither of them noticed Jackie had joined them.

"He would have said…." Rose started but trailed off.

"What are you two chimps going on about?" Jackie jumped in, looking at them like they had gone loopy. "What's going on? What's this Doctor done now?"

Mickey laughed.

"He's vamoosed."

"He's not, 'cause he gave me this." Rose held up the TARDIS key, but Mickey scoffed. "And he's not my boyfriend, Mickey. He's better than that. He's much more important than—besides, he and Amanda are—he _definitely _wouldn't have left without her….."

"Oh, and where is she then, 'cause I don't see her anywhere, do you?" He taunted. "I bet they left together."

Rose was about to retort but stopped when she felt a warm, pulsing sensation in her hand. She looked down at the key and saw that it was glowing. Mickey saw it too and his eyes went as round as dinner plates. The wind started to pick up and they could hear the familiar sound of the TARDIS rematerializing.

"I said so." Rose stated triumphantly, before she remembered her mother was still there. "Mum. Mum, go inside." She urged her quickly. "Mum, don't stand there. Just go inside." But Jackie wasn't budging. "Just—mum, go. Oh, blimey."

It was too late. Jackie was frozen in place with a look of shock as they all watched the TARDIS materialize from out of nowhere. Mickey had a big smirk on his face, knowing that Jackie couldn't say he was crazy now.

"How'd you do that, then? Jackie asked as if it were just a trick.

*******TARDIS Console*******

The Doctor and Amanda moved around the controls, making their way back to where they had parked by the Tyler's flat.

"Push that one there and hold that down." The Doctor directed her.

She did as he asked even though she was still a little upset about the pig.

"Come on Amanda, cheer up a bit. We'll find out who did it and why. I promise."

He smiled when he saw her smirk.

"Fine, but whoever they are, they're on my 'shit-list'. I just so happen to think that pigs are adorably awesome, thank you very much. You know, a lot of people don't realize how intelligent they are and even though most people don't believe it, they are actually very clean animals…it's people that keep them messy. I mean, what do they expect when they keep'em in mud pits? I'd ask if we could have a pot-belly as a pet if it weren't for the fact that I knew you'd say no. Too domestic."

"Affirmative." He agreed.

She started laughing to herself and he looked at her with an eyebrow raised.

"What?" He asked her.

Her chuckles turned into soft giggles before she answered.

"Guard pig."

He paused and thought about that for a moment before he too started to chuckle and rolled his eyes at her strange thought.

"Could you imagine that?" She asked him.

"Oh, hush, you." He said as he nudged her.

He was just glad that she was smiling again. He hated it when she was upset and he hated it even more when she tried to hide it (which she did more often than not).

"Right, so….if you could, please push that and wait for this light to turn blue, then pull that out and turn that one twice to the right to land us while I start on the scanners to figure out what's going on." He directed her.

She nodded her head with a big grin and hopped to it. He usually likes to do the landing part himself so she was excited that he was letting her do it for once. She didn't notice, but the Doctor was grinning triumphantly to himself now. Letting her land them was a good plan to keep her mind off the poor pig-creature.

A few seconds later, the Doctor stood with his back to the doors and his arms crossed over his chest as he observed the monitors once they'd finished rematerializing.

"Nicely done." He praised her for the smooth landing.

"Thanks!" She beamed feeling very proud of herself.

Just then, Rose, burst through the door looking worried.

"Hey, Rose!" Amanda greeted cheerfully, still enjoying her good mood, completely oblivious to her friend's nervousness.

The Doctor did notice, but he interpreted it the wrong way.

"All right, so I lied—we went and had a look, but the whole crash landing's a fake. I thought so—it's just too perfect. I mean, hitting Big Ben—come on. So I thought, 'let's go and have a look'." He rambled.

"Oh, and I'm sorry too, Rose, as you can see, I didn't really step out for air. I knew he'd try something so I beat him to the TARDIS and, well…yeah…" Amanda piped in "Be glad you didn't come with us though. I had to watch a poor, defenseless little pig get shot down. It was horrible. Stupid soldiers and their stupid guns." She started to ramble as well.

The Doctor was about to say something more, but Rose cut him off.

"My mum's here."

Amanda and the Doctor snapped their heads to the doors to see both Jackie and that guy they saw Rose with when they first met. They both frowned at the new arrivals. Jackie wasn't handling what she was seeing very well. She had her hand over her mouth in shock and fear and was trembling while Mickey stood to the side looking both angry and smug.

"Oh, that's just what I need." The Doctor huffed sarcastically, and then turned to warn Rose. "Don't you dare make this place domestic."

"Really though, he's got a _thing_ about it." Amanda warned.

The Doctor then got back to work on the scanners and Amanda joined him, waiting for her directions.

"You two ruined my life, Doctor." Mickey accused, making them both roll their eyes in annoyance.

"Oh shove-off, kid, the adults are working now." Amanda dismissed him.

Mickey scrunched up his face like he'd just tasted something sour.

"I'm not a kid!" He snapped.

Amanda paused to look at him with a bemused smirk.

"Oh, really? So who was it I saw clinging to Rose's legs like a frightened infant the last time we were here?" She taunted him, and then turned back to help the Doctor, completely ignoring the guy's huffing and puffing.

"They thought she was dead." Mickey snapped. "I was a murder suspect because of you two."

This time, the Doctor turned around to face him, pausing only to glance over his shoulder at Rose in annoyance.

"You see what I mean?" He asked her.

"Domestic." Amanda clarified.

"I bet you don't even remember my name." Mickey ranted.

"Rickey." The Doctor answered.

"No, that's the other him." Amanda muttered, but then turned away in confusion. "Wait. No….what?" She asked herself.

The Doctor shot her a quick look of concern but Mickey just ignored her and continued his ranting.

"It's Mickey." He corrected.

"No, it's Rickey." The Doctor countered.

"I think I know my own name." Mickey scoffed.

"You _think_ you know your own name? How stupid are you?" The Doctor taunted.

Amanda couldn't help herself, she burst out laughing, shaking her head. After a few seconds, she calmed down and sighed in delight.

"Yeah, I needed that." She giggled.

Mickey glared at her for laughing at his expense.

"Oh, don't give me that look." She chided. "You know you walked right into that."

Jackie couldn't take it anymore. She turned to the doors and ran back outside.

"Mum, don't." Rose called out to her in concern. Before she ran after her she turned to the Doctor. "Don't go anywhere." Then she quickly warned the other two. "Don't start a fight."

The three of them stared at each other for a second while Rose ran after her mother until the Doctor and Amanda turned back around to work on the console and ignored the fuming Mickey. But, then, just as quickly as she left, Rose came flying back through the doors with a look of confusion. She had just realized what the Doctor had said.

"That was a real spaceship." She tossed out as a half question half statement.

"Yep." The Doctor responded as he continued to fiddle with one of the monitors.

"So, it's all a pack of lies?" She tried to confirm. Amanda nodded so she continued. "What is it then? Are they invading?"

Mickey decided to speak up then.

"Funny way to invade, putting the world on Red Alert."

Amanda looked over her shoulder and affirmed him with a surprised smile.

"Good point…" She turned back and leaned closer to whisper in the Doctor's ear. "…really good point, actually."

The Doctor turned his head slightly to look at her. They stared at each other for a moment before they simultaneously turned back to the screen. Rose smirked at their obliviousness.

"So, what are they up to?" The Doctor asked rhetorically.

*******TARDIS Console/About** **20 Minutes later*******

Amanda was digging around in a tool box, searching for something the Doctor had asked for. He was currently under a section of the floor grating trying to fix some of the wires so he could track the crashed spaceship's flight pattern. He almost had it fixed; he just needed the last piece that he'd sent Amanda to find.

But, of course, even though he had insisted that it was there, it wasn't. He had probably already used it on something else and just forgot. Not wanting to inconvenience him or hinder their progress, she quickly thought up an alternative and walked back to him with a triumphant smile. It was technically a toy, but if he could make seemingly random objects work, so could she.

"So, what are you doing down there." Mickey asked, genuinely curious.

The Doctor was still annoyed with him though.

"_Rickey—_" He started to reply, though it was muffled because he had his sonic screwdriver in his mouth.

"Mickey." Said person corrected.

The Doctor ignored it though. Just then Amanda walked up and pushed him out of the way. She lay down on the floor, leaning over the edge to smile at the Doctor and took the screwdriver out of his mouth. He smiled back at her before looked up at Mickey who was leaning over them to watch and finish answering his question.

"Rickey. If I was to tell you what I was doing to the controls of my, frankly, magnificent time machine, would you even begin to understand?" He asked in a snarky tone.

"Well, no, I suppose not—" Mickey started, but Amanda cut him off cheerfully.

"Well, shut it, then."

Mickey walked away and headed over to stand by Rose who was trying not to get in the way. She liked to help too, but the other two were in their sort-of synchronized team-work zone and she just wanted to leave them to it.

"Some _friends_ you've got there." Mickey grumbled to her.

"They're just winding you up." She explained, and then added. "I _am_ sorry."

"Okay." He responded lamely.

"I am, though." Rose insisted.

Mickey scuffed his shoes on the floor absentmindedly.

"Every day, I looked. On every street corner, wherever I went, looking for a blue box, for a whole year." He admitted in frustration.

Rose couldn't help but feel guilty.

"It's only been a few days for me. I don't know, it's—hard to tell inside this thing, but I swear it's just a few days since I left you." Rose tried to reassure him.

Meanwhile, Amanda and the Doctor were still working…

"It wasn't there, but here—" Amanda apologized as she handed him a metal slinky that she'd found, "—try this. Oh, and I brought this—" She handed him a little rubber hook with a screw-tip, "—to hold the middle section in place so it won't bounce around so much while we move. Don't want it to get twisted."

"Brilliant!" He praised her.

"And don't you forget it." She winked at him playfully. "Now, what setting?" She asked, indicating the sonic screwdriver.

"Twelve-Eighteen C." He told her.

She changed it to the proper setting and pointed it to the spot he held in place. When she clicked it on, the buzzing sound she loved, fused the tip of the wire to the end of the slinky. They did the same for the other end, attaching it to a different section all together and then hooked the rubber bit to the middle and attached it to a supporting-rod so it wouldn't touch anything else.

Back with Mickey and Rose…..

"Not enough time to miss me, then?" He asked her hesitantly.

"I did miss you." Rose countered with a soft smile.

Mickey returned the smile and admitted…

"I missed you."

"So, um…..in twelve months, have you been seeing anyone else?" She asked nonchalantly.

"No." He answered quickly, then reiterated. "Mainly because everyone thinks I murdered you."

"Right." Rose said flatly.

"So, now that you've come back…..are you going to stay?" Mickey asked her hopefully.

Rose bit her lip as Mickey leaned in for a kiss.

There was a flash of sparks, from where the other two were working; indicating that what they had done was a success. The Doctor cried out in triumphant laughter which effectively ruined Mickey's moment and saved Rose from having to answer right away.

"Ha! Way to go us." Amanda cheered, and then she laughed as well, adding, "Only _you_ would keep a slinky in a tool box."

She reached out and grabbed the Doctor's hand to help him up. They walked over to check the main screen.

"Came in handy though, didn't it?" He responded with his cheeky grin.

"So, what did you do?" Rose asked them as she walked over to get a better look.

"Patched in the radar—" Amanda started to explain.

"—Looped it back twelve hours so it followed the flight of that spaceship." The Doctor finished. "Here we go. Hold on." He messed with the settings a bit and then gave it a whack for good measure. "Come on."

When the screen adjusted correctly, he pointed out the movement to the girls and explained what it was showing.

"That's the spaceship on its way to earth. See?" He started.

Amanda pointed at the flight trail in confusion.

"Except—hold on….why is the dissent pattern askew?" She asked. "It's wrong isn't it, or am I seeing things?"

The Doctor grinned at her, happy that she'd noticed.

"Good eye." He affirmed. "See, the spaceship did a slingshot around the earth before it landed."

"What does that mean?" Rose asked, still a bit confused.

"It means it came from Earth in the first place." Amanda explained in fascination.

"Yep," the Doctor confirmed, "It came up and came back down. Whoever those aliens are, they haven't just arrived, they've been here for a while."

"The question is, what have they been doing here besides torturing defenseless animals?" Amanda asked, looking to the others with a curious frown.

A few minutes later, Rose, Amanda, and the Doctor were using the monitor like a TV. They flipped through different news channels, trying to find any relevant updates.

"How many channels do you guys get?" Mickey asked out of the blue.

"All the basic packages, I think." Amanda answered disinterestedly as she continued to change the channels.

"You get sports channels?" He asked enthusiastically.

"Yes, I get the football." The Doctor answered in annoyance.

Amanda scoffed.

"Earth men." She whispered to herself with a roll of her eyes.

The Doctor caught it though and smiled discreetly to himself. The fact that she had specifically specified 'Earth' hadn't escaped his notice either. Then something on the screen grabbed his attention and he placed a hand on her shoulder, indicating for her to stay on that channel.

"Hold on. I know that lot. UNIT—"

"United Nations Intelligence Taskforce." Amanda spouted off, and then stared sheepishly down at her shoes.

"—Good people." The Doctor added, giving her shoulder a reassuring squeeze.

"How do you know them?" Asked Rose.

Mickey jumped in then and answered before the Doctor could.

"Because he's worked for them." He stated smugly, as if he'd un-earthed some big secret. "Yeah, don't think I sat on my backside for twelve months, Doctor. I read up on you." He tuned to Rose and explained, conspiratorially. "You look deep enough on the internet or in the history books and there's his name, followed by a list of the dead."

"That's nice. Good boy, Rickey." The Doctor responded patronizingly.

"Obsessive much?" Amanda teased. "You sound almost like a stalker. Should have started L.I.N.D.A."

Rose looked at her with a raised eyebrow and mouthed the word 'LINDA' questioningly. Amanda chuckled at the look on her face and explained.

"London Investigative 'N' Detective Agency. It was founded in early 2007 and then suddenly disbanded in late spring of that same year. They were sort of like a secret society, dedicated to finding out information about the Doctor that for some reason morphed into a little band just before they disappeared out of the blue. No idea why though." She mused. "Guess we could look into it someday."

"So, at some point next year, this group, LINDA's going to start up to research about the Doctor?" Rose questioned disbelievingly.

"Yep!" Amanda smirked, and then began to laugh teasingly. "The Doctor has fan-clubs."

"Oi." He nudged her playfully with a mock glare. "Hush, you. Focus."

Amanda tried to look innocent but ended up snickering anyways.

"If you know them," Rose asked, pointing to the screen that still showed UNIT, "why don't you go and help?"

"They wouldn't recognize me." He answered as he started to mess with a few switches around the console. "I've changed a lot since the old days. Besides, the world's on a knife-edge. There's aliens out there, and fake aliens."

"We want to keep this alien out of the mix." Amanda explained, gesturing to the Doctor.

"I'm going undercover—" He continued, flipping another switch that made a dinging noise. "And, uh, better keep the TARDIS out of sight. Rickey, you've got a car. You can do some driving."

"Where to?" Mickey wined.

The Doctor made his way to the door, followed closely by an excited Amanda and a very curious Rose.

"The roads are clear, let's go and have a look at that spaceship." The Doctor suggested.

Unfortunately, their plans were dashed as soon as they stepped outside. They were immediately surrounded by helicopters and government vehicles. It was all a bit over stimulating with everyone blaring their sirens and flashing them with bright lights. Then a disembodied voice called out to them through a megaphone from one of the helicopters.

"_**Do not move. Step away from the box and raise your hands above your heads." **_It ordered. _**"You are under arrest. Do not move."**_

"Make up your minds!" Amanda shouted back.

They watched in confusion as foot soldiers formed a semi-circle around them with guns. Mickey took a chance and made a run for it.

"Hey, get after him! Get after him!"__One of the soldiers ordered.

But they were too late. The little weasel managed to hide himself behind some nearby bins.

"Well you sure know how to pick'm, Rose." Amanda taunted sarcastically.

Then, to their surprise, Rose's mother came running out of the estates to try and get to her daughter, but the soldiers held her back.

"Rose!" She shouted in a frenzy. "Rose!"

"Stay back! No!" A soldier warned her.

Jackie continued to call out to her daughter.

"_**Place your hands above your head. You are under arrest." **_The voice ordered again.

"That's my daughter!" Jackie cried but the soldiers ignored her.

The trio complied and lifted their hands up as requested. The Doctor had an excited smile on his face and Amanda rolled her eyes at him and chuckled, but Rose actually managed to look a little worried. Amanda leaned over to reassure her.

"Don't worry, Rose, you get use to stuff like this after a while."

This bit of information didn't seem to make her feel any better though.

"Take me to your leader!" The Doctor demanded jokingly, with a cheerful smile.

Amanda pouted and stomped her foot in disappointment.

"Aw, man, no fair! I've always wanted to say that." She whined jokingly. "Can I say it next time?" She asked the Doctor in excited, hopefulness.

He smirked at her enthusiasm and winked.

"You got it." He promised playfully making Amanda do a fist-pump as she laughed.

Rose shook her head in disbelief. She couldn't understand why they weren't taking the situation seriously.

Eventually, they were escorted and helped into a nice, plush, government issued car to be taken to their mandated destination. The Doctor sat to the far side, with Amanda in the middle, followed by Rose. As Rose got into the car, she was pleasantly surprised by the whole thing. When she heard them say 'under arrest', she was expecting to be hand-cuffed and man-handled into a cramped police cruiser.

"This is a bit posh." She said jokingly. "If I'd known it was going to be like this—being _arrested_—I would have done it years ago."

Amanda laughed at her silly comment.

"We're not being arrested." The Doctor corrected her. "We're being escorted."

"Where to? Rose asked curiously.

"Where do you think?" The Doctor answered with a mischievous glint. "Downing Street." He then started to laugh, which was contagious.

"You're kidding." Rose accused in excitement, thinking he was just messing with her.

"No, I'm not." He grinned.

"10 Downing Street?" Rose asked, seriously now.

"Wait, sorry…American brain…" Amanda interrupted. "That's the headquarters of the Government and the official residence and office of the Prime Minister, right?" She asked.

"That's the one." The Doctor confirmed cheerfully.

Rose joined in the laughter, getting excited herself, now.

"Oh, my God. I'm going to 10 Downing Street!" She giggled happily. "How come?"

The Doctor sighed.

"I hate to say it, but Mickey was right. Over the years, I've visited this planet a lot of times, and I've been, uh, noticed."

"Now they need you?" Rose asked, trying to understand the situation.

"Like it said on the news, they're gathering experts in alien knowledge." He confirmed. "And who's the biggest expert of the lot?" He asked smugly, mentally patting himself on the back.

"Patrick Moore?" Rose answered teasingly.

"Apart from him." He prompted, partially deflated.

Amanda decided to yank his smug little chain a bit more.

"The MIB?" She asked with a mischievous grin.

"Oh, come on!" He whined. "They aren't even real."

Amanda laughed. He was just too adorable sometimes and fun to mess with.

"Oh, don't you just love it." Rose teased him.

"I'm telling you—Lloyd George, oh, he used to drink me under the table." The Doctor chuckled.

"Who's the Prime Minister now?" Amanda asked curiously.

"How should I know? I missed a year." Rose scoffed playfully.

They drove for a little while longer before they finally arrived at their destination. The entrance to the building was completely crowded with photographers and reporters.

"Oh, great." Amanda complained jokingly. "Now Lady Gaga's song, 'Paparazzi', is stuck in my head."

Rose laughed nervously (though she had no clue who Lady Gaga was) as she climbed out of the car from the side closest to the building without waiting for the others. The Doctor, being the gentleman that he was, grasped onto Amanda's hand and helped her out. The two of them had matching, face-splitting grins, both enjoying the craziness immensely.

The Doctor wrapped his arm around Amanda's lower back and she gladly did the same to him as the two of them waved and smiled to the cameras. Once they made it around the vehicle to Rose, both girls took one of his arms. Immediately, as they made their way towards the door, the three of them were bombarded with questions.

"Excuse me, Sir, tell me who you are, please!" A random reporter called out. "And who are your lady friends, Sir?"

"Who invited you to come to 10 this evening?" Shouted another.

"Oh my God." Rose muttered to herself, enjoying the euphoria of it all.

When they got inside, they were made to wait in a reception area with the other attendees of the meeting. It looked like they were some of the last to arrive and after a few minutes; a liaison finally came out to gather everyone into the meeting hall.

"Ladies and gentlemen, can we convene? Quick as we can, please. It's this way on the right." He directed, pointing out a set of doors. "And can I remind you—I.D. cards are to be worn at all times." He added as he approached the Doctor, holding out a card. "Here's your I.D. card."

Before the Doctor could take it from him, Amanda quickly snatched it away.

"NO!" She yelped.

"What's wrong?" The Doctor asked her in concern.

Amanda bit her lip and growled in frustration, annoyed with herself and slightly embarrass by her over-reaction.

"I don't know yet…" She stared down at the card in her hands and then looked bake up at him. Leaning in closer, she whispered uneasily, "…but, something's not right. I think—"

"I'm sorry." The liaison interrupted. "Your companion doesn't have clearance." He informed them, apparently not even noticing Rose.

"I don't go anywhere without her." The Doctor countered.

"Or Rose." Amanda added, making sure their friend wasn't left out.

"You're the Code 9, not them." The man insisted. "I'm sorry, uh, Doctor. It's 'The Doctor', isn't it? They'll have to stay outside."

"They're staying with me." The Doctor stated firmly, gripping Amanda's hand tighter and tugging her along.

But the man stopped them, looking apologetic. He was really trying to make the Doctor understand.

"Look, even I don't have clearance to go in there. I can't let them in and that's a fact."

"That's all right. You go." Rose insisted.

"Sure?" He asked her, giving Amanda a quick glance in concern.

"Yeah, they're the experts." Rose assured him.

Amanda gripped the Doctor's hand, nervously. She had a really bad feeling about all this. Then, suddenly, the room changed around her and she saw a different room filled with these big, slimy, green aliens with big, bulbous black eyes and some sort of strange metal collars attached to their necks. They had these awkward, baby-like faces with disproportionate bodies and sharp claws. They were all laughing, a sound that made it seem as if they were all in great need of a throat lozenge. Then, just as suddenly as it happened, the main room came back into focus.

"Doctor!" Amanda grabbed his attention urgently. "I know what they look like."

"How do—" He started to ask but she quickly continued.

"I '_saw_' them….like with Jabe, on Platform One. It was just a quick glimpse, but I know it was them and there was more than just a few of them."

"Where were they?" He asked her.

"I don't know…it was in a room I didn't recognize, but I think it was somewhere, in this building. They look like these sort-of giant, alien Gerber Babies with big black eyes, claws and skin the same color and consistency as Lima beans. They wore these weird looking collars that probably function as a cloaking devise or something, 'cause I don't see how the heck they could go unnoticed in a place like this, otherwise." She looked at him in concern and then added hesitantly. "Doctor...they were laughing and I don't think it was at a joke."

"All right, you and Rose wait here and I'll be back for you as quick as I can." The Doctor assured her as comfortingly as he could.

Just then, A woman tried to approach them, speaking in a timid voice and looking a little shaken. The Doctor was too preoccupied with his friend's safety and the situation unfolding around them, though, to notice her. The liaison, however, did take notice of her and he didn't look very happy to see her.

"Excuse me, are you the Doctor?" The woman asked.

The liaison rolled his eyes and huffed in irritation.

"Not now. We're busy. Can't you go home?"

"I just need a word in private." She explained, sounding a little desperate.

The Doctor finally turned to make his way to the door, but looked back at them just before he walked inside.

"Don't get into any trouble." He warned them.

"Now where's the fun in that?" Amanda joked.

Though he knew her smile was forced, he smiled his signature cheeky grin, in hopes that it would make her feel better, which it did, though not completely.

"Please be careful." She added nervously.

She just couldn't shake the feeling that things were about to go wrong. He nodded and disappeared behind the door. Rose came and stood next to her, grasping her hand as a comforting gesture. Amanda smiled at her in thanks.

"You haven't got clearance. Now leave it." The liaison snapped at the other woman in exasperation.

He then turned and grabbed Rose's arm as politely as he could, but still moving quickly and urgently.

"I'm going to have to leave you two with security." He explained.

"It's all right." The woman stopped them with a soft smile. "I'll look after them. Let me be of some use." She offered, pulling them away in another direction. "Walk with me. Just keep walking." She directed them, trying to be sneaky and nonchalant.

"Harriet Jones, MP, Flydale North." Amanda spouted off and bit her lip to keep herself from speaking up again.

"That's right. Don't look round." She warned them.

Rose stared at her feeling very confused. Once they had reached a stairwell that was away from anyone who might overhear them, Harriet stopped.

"This friend of yours—he's an expert, is that right?" She asked them hesitantly. "He knows—he knows about aliens?"

"Why do you want to know?" Rose asked suspiciously.

Harriet covered her face and started to sob. Amanda jerked back slightly, not expecting such a reaction to Rose's question. The two girls looked at each other, wondering what to do. Rose acted first, laying her hands on the woman in a soothing gesture and Amanda awkwardly followed suit.

"Look, Harriet, we might be able to help while we're waiting for the Doctor, but you have to tell us what's wrong." Amanda offered confidently.

Harriet tried to pull herself together so she could speak calmly, while the girls waited patiently.

"Come with me. I'll show you." She whimpered nervously.

Harriet then took them to a private office that led into a meeting room. Once they were inside, she walked straight to the cabinet and pulled out a bundle of what appeared to be human skin in a well-tailored suit. It was at one point, a man, but it looked like he had been completely hollowed out with a zipper fused to the forehead.

"They turned the body into a suit, a disguise for the thing inside." Harriet explained in disgust, trying not to cry again.

"It's alright. We believe you." Rose assured her comfortingly.

Amanda nodded her head in agreement as she picked up the human 'suit' to examine it more closely.

"It's alien all right." She confirmed. "The Doctor's definitely going to want to see this for himself."

'_Very clever…._' Amanda thought reluctantly as she continued to look it over. '_That must be what the collar is for…to help them fit._'

"Fascinating! That explains why nobody's noticed them yet. They could literally _be_ anyone." Amanda pointed out, and then muttered to herself as an afterthought. "Though I would assume they'd pick the roomier humans."

"Fascinating?" Harriet asked her incredulously.

Amanda winced and bit her lip, mentally face-palming herself. She hadn't meant to say that part out loud.

"Sorry, no. I didn't mean it like that." She groaned apologetically. "I feel horrible for this man, I really do, but—well, you have to admit, this is rather clever. I mean look at the zipper. The way they've fused it to—" She cut herself off when she saw Rose shaking her head at her from behind Harriet.

She glanced at Harriet to see that the woman was now looking at her as if she'd just kicked a whole litter of puppies. Amanda sighed at her own tactlessness, setting the 'suit back down as gently as possible and stepped away.

"They must have some serious technology behind this." Rose jumped in, trying to defuse the tension, for which Amanda was grateful.

She watched as Rose started to search around the room determinedly, looking under the tables, behind curtains, and in drawers, until she came to a different cabinet.

"If we could find it….we could use it." She added as she opened the doors.

She jumped back and yelped in shock as the body of a dead man fell out of it, crumpling to the floor in a heap.

"Oh, my God." Rose gasped.

Amanda immediately jumped into action, filling in for the Doctor as best as she could. Since they didn't have his sonic screwdriver to do a scan; she had to do things the old fashioned way by kneeling down next to him for a better look. She lifted one of his eye-lids to see that his eye was lulled back, into his skull and the edges were blood-shot. She then put two fingers to the side of his neck at the pulse-point, but felt nothing. Finally, she noticed that his neck was slightly discolored and twisted at an odd angle.

"Snapped it." She muttered to herself, though the other two heard her anyways.

Just then, the liaison they'd spoken to from before, walked into the room and huffed in exasperation.

"Harriet, for God's sake!" He snapped in annoyance. "This has gone beyond a joke. You cannot just wander—" He cut himself off in shock as he noticed the body. "Oh, my God. That's the Prime Minister."

"We found him in the cabinet like this." Amanda explained. "I'm sorry, but he's dead."

"Ohh." A female's voice sounded from the doorway.

They all turned to see a plump, short-haired, blond woman in a nice suit-jacket and skirt, smiling menacingly at them.

"Has someone been naughty?" She asked in a mock sweetness that gave them chills as closed the door behind her.

******To Be Continued******

***Thanks for reading…I hope you liked it! And sorry for the long wait! Part 2 is finished as well and will be posted soon! Don't forget to check out my profile for picture links!**


	6. Alien Party Crashers Part 2

**Hey everyone! Here's part 2! I hope you Enjoy it!**

***Major thank you(s) to **Tipper dehavilland, fanfreak4ever, sora0995, notwritten, Cetacea-of-Time, & Shadowfish **for the awesome reviews! They totally make my Day!****Seriously…many happy dances were performed by me as a result!**

***Also, don't forget to check out my profile for picture-links!**

**Impossible or Just Highly Unlikely**

_Alien Party Crashers (Part 2)_

*******Recap*******

"_Harriet, for God's sake!" He snapped in annoyance. "This has gone beyond a joke. You cannot just wander—" He cut himself off in shock as he noticed the body. "Oh, my God. That's the Prime Minister." _

"_We found him in the cabinet like this." Amanda explained. "I'm sorry, but he's dead."_

"_Ohh." A female's voice sounded from the doorway._

_They all turned to see a plump, short-haired, blond woman in a nice suit-jacket and skirt, smiling mincingly at them._

"_Has someone been naughty?" She asked in a mock sweetness that gave them chills as closed the door behind her._

*******10 Downing Street/Cabinet Room*******

'_She has to be one of them._' Amanda thought. She glanced at the others around the room in concern, lingering on Rose. '_I can't let her get hurt._'

She leaned over to Rose to whisper a warning.

"When I say 'go', Rose, I want you to take the others and leave. Got it? Run straight to the Doctor as quick as you can. I'll be right behind you, I promise." Amanda ordered her.

Rose was about to protest but Amanda wasn't negotiating.

"Don't argue with me!" She snapped, still whispering.

"That's impossible. He left this afternoon." The liaison insisted, not wanting to believe what he was seeing. "I mean, the Prime Minister left Downing Street. He was driven away."

"And who told you that? Hhm?" The woman taunted him smugly. "Me."

She then started to 'un-zip' her forehead to remove her skin suit. The process was strenuous and let of a blue-ish sort of electrical discharge that flashed about the room. They all stared dumbly at her in shocked awe when the creature was about half way exposed. Before Amanda could even blink, the alien grabbed the poor liaison around his throat and held him high against the wall where he struggled for air before his neck was snapped.

"NO!" The girls shouted in outrage and fear.

This finally brought Amanda back to her senses and she grabbed one of the big chairs that surrounded the table and shouted to Rose.

"GO! Now!"

Rose pushed Harriet towards the door as Amanda lifted the chair and used all her weight to slam it into the creature, pinning it against the wall. She wasn't strong enough to hold it there but she was able to at least provide them with the time they needed to escape. The alien shoved her back, causing her to fall, landing hard on her backside and knocking her forehead into the chair, painfully.

The alien made to attack, ready to slash at her with its massive claws and a cruel growl. Amanda shrunk away in fear waiting for the pain, but it never came. Instead, the alien stopped and shrieked in agony as it was somehow electrocuted by its collar. Luckily, Amanda had landed next to the door. She looked down and saw an open briefcase that had fallen off the table at some point with a red folder inside labeled 'Top Secret Protocols'. Thinking that they might be important, she grabbed them and was able to scramble backwards out into the hallway before it recovered, slamming the door closed behind her.

Down the corridor, the other two were running as fast as they could when Harriet suddenly stopped and made to turn back.

"Wait! They're still back there—" she cried in a panic. "The emergency protocols. We need them!"

"Forget about the stupid protocols!" Rose protested angrily. "A man just died and I had to ditch my friend back their so she could save our lives!" She then groaned to herself. "The Doctor's never forgive me."

"Who says he has to know?" Amanda teased, coming around the corner with a grin. "Now com on ladies, I told you to run." She demanded as she over took them, sprinting forward.

"But, the protocols." Harriet insisted.

"Way ahead of you.….literally." Amanda shouted over her shoulder, holding up the red folder for them to see. "Now move it!" She snapped.

The other two had no choice but to comply, because they heard the alien in pursuit and it was getting closer. They ran for their lives, down the hallways and around corners, until they came to a door that was unfortunately locked. The creature had nearly caught up to them, but was distracted by the ding of the elevator doors, allowing them to slip away, just in time, down another hallway and through a door that was thankfully unlocked.

Once the three of them had made it safely inside what appeared to be someone's private sitting-room, Rose shut the door behind them. They were then faced with another major problem….there was no other way out of the room for them to escape to and they could hear the alien getting closer.

"Hide!" Harriet ordered manically.

"Oh, really? Never would have thought of that." Amanda snapped sarcastically.

The women had to quickly scramble about for places to hide. Amanda hid herself behind the floor-length drapes, Harriet scampered behind a collapsible room-divider, and Rose just barely managed to crouch down into a ball behind the big oak counter top seconds before the door opened.

"Oh, such fun." The alien taunted them as she crept farther into the room, sounding as though she were gargling something while she spoke. "Little human children…." She continued in a sing-song voice. "…where are you? Sweet little humankins, come to me. Let me kiss you better…kiss you with my big, green lips."

The creature was getting dangerously close to finding Rose, so when it turned its back, Amanda gestured hurriedly for Rose to join her behind the other curtain. Rose made it just in time and both girls sighed quietly in relief.

Then, the door creaked open again and two more of what Amanda had officially nicknamed "The Giant, Green Gerber-Babies of Doom", walked in. The one that had already been chasing them, turned to greet them cheerfully.

"My brothers."

"Happy hunting?" One of them inquired.

"It's wonderful." She replied with glee. "The more you prolong it, the more they stink."

"Sweat and fear." The third one chimed in making Harriet go slack-jawed in shock, only to frown again in offense at his next comment. "I can smell an old girl—stale bird and brittle bones."

"And two ripe youngsters…." The 'sister' added. "…all hormones and adrenalin, fresh enough to bend before they snap….oooohh, and one of them is wounded." She purred as she moved slowly towards the curtains, taunting them, sniffing the air.

Amanda looked over to see Rose mouthing the words _'your head' _in fear. It was at this point that Amanda finally took notice of her throbbing forehead where the chair had backfired earlier, accompanied with the sensation of something dripping from her left eyebrow, down the side of her face.

'_Damn it! That's the fourth time I've been hurt this week…..How embarrassing. I swear I'm not usually this accident prone._' She mentally groaned.

Amanda was brought back to the situation at hand when she saw the shadow of one of the aliens get closer and the voice of the 'sister' could be heard from just on the other side of the curtain.

"You can smell the blood," She giggled, reaching a hand out to grab the drapes, "So salty-sweet."

The female alien pulled aside the curtain Amanda was hiding behind making her squeak in surprise.

"Darn it! You found me! You guys are good." Amanda cooed in mock disappointment. "Now, it's your turn to hide and we'll count." She added in a cheerful, sarcastic tone.

"I don't think so." One of the 'brothers' taunted.

She then scrunched up her face in anticipation of the claws that were about to strike her down as she madly racked her brain for a plan of escape. Though, she wasn't too sure that she'd be very successful.

"Oh, well, can't blame a girl for trying." Amanda countered flippantly while a sad thought simultaneously crossed her mind. '_I'm sorry Doctor._'

Just before it was about to swipe its claws through her flesh, Harriet jumped out from her hiding place, surprising and confusing everyone.

"NO! TAKE ME FIRST! TAKE ME!" She shouted dramatically.

Amanda rolled her eyes thinking '_What the hell, Harriet?_', though, at the same time; she couldn't help but be thankful for the distraction.

Just then, with oddly-perfect timing as usual, the Doctor burst through the door with a fire extinguisher and sprayed it at the 3 alien siblings making them screech in pain and disorientation.

"Out, with me!" He commanded the girls.

"Rose, help me with the curtains." Amanda shouted.

The two of them grabbed onto the drapes and pulled them down, over the head of the 'sister'. They then ran as fast as they could to the door, followed closely by Harriet and the three of them stood closely behind the Doctor, who gave the aliens another gush from the extinguisher. He turned slightly to his right and noticing the extra person he asked her, rather rudely in surprised suspicion…

"Who the hell are you?"

"Harriet Jones, MP for Flydale North." She answered in her usual manner.

"Nice to meet you." He greeted a little less rudely but still in a rush.

"Likewise." She responded without missing a beat.

"Yeah, as cute as that introduction just was….perhaps we should flee now." Amanda interjected.

"Right." The Doctor agreed with a smile before he gave the alien siblings one final blast for good measure.

The four of them quickly dashed away before the aliens had time to recover.

"We need to get to the Cabinet Rooms!" The Doctor ordered them.

"But, the Emergency Protocols aren't in there anymore." Harriet countered. "Your lady-friend already has them." She gestured to Amanda.

"Excuse me?" Amanda squeaked at the title, making Rose smirk.

"They give instructions on aliens." Harriet continued, ignoring Amanda's objection.

"Harriet Jones, I like you." The Doctor commented, not seeming to have even registered what exactly Harriet had said.

"I like you too." She responded with a smile.

"But that's not why we need to get there, so keep running." The Doctor added.

The four of them continued to run back down the different hallways and around corners, followed closely by the angry aliens as they made their way to the office the girls had originally come from. Instead of using the main entrance, the Doctor had them take a short-cut using a side door that he had to unlock with his sonic screwdriver. Once they'd reached their destination, the Doctor grabbed hold of a glass decanter that contained some sort of dark alcoholic liquid and aimed his screwdriver at it threateningly.

"One more move, and my sonic device will triplicate the flammability of this alcohol. Whoof! We all go up. So back off." He warned the aliens, making them hesitate. "Right then. Question time."

Amanda moved forward to stand beside him.

"Who exactly are the Slitheen?" He asked with that air of authority that Amanda admired so much.

"They're aliens." Harriet piped in, trying to be helpful.

Both the Doctor and Amanda sighed in exasperation.

"Thank you, oh, purveyor of great wisdom. What would we do without you?" Amanda mumbled sarcastically to herself with a roll of her eyes.

The Doctor heard her and smirked for just a brief moment before he tossed a response to Harriet's comment over his shoulder, still sarcastic, though not as rude…

"Yes, I got that, thanks."

"Who are you, if not human?" One of the 'brothers' asked the Doctor.

"Who's not human?" Harriet interjected.

"He's not human." Rose answered her, gesturing to the Doctor.

"He's not human?" Harriet repeated in astonishment.

Amanda let out a breath of annoyance and turned towards the two of them with a stern expression.

"Can we have a bit of hush?" She reprimanded them.

"Sorry." Harriet apologized sheepishly.

"So, what's the plan, then?" Amanda asked the aliens.

She looked up to the ceiling and huffed in annoyance when she heard Harriet continue behind her anyways.

"But he's got a northern accent." Harriet commented to Rose.

"Lots of planets have a north." Rose explained, repeating what the Doctor had said to her when they first met.

"I said hush." Amanda snapped at them tiredly.

"Come on." The Doctor urged the 'siblings', holding up the decanter warningly. "You've got a spaceship hidden in the North Sea. It's transmitting a signal. You've murdered your way to the top of government. What for—"

"—Invasion?" Amanda prompted them.

"Why would we invade this godforsaken rock?" One of the 'brothers asked incuriously.

"Then something's brought the Slitheen race here. What is it?" The Doctor questioned.

The siblings scoffed at his comment.

"The Slitheen race? Slitheen is not our species." One corrected.

The three of them let out a low growl.

" 'Slitheen' is our surname." Another explained. "Jocrassa Fel-Fotch Pasameer-Day Slitheen at your service."

"So you're family." The Doctor confirmed.

Amanda looked at him in confusion.

"Sorry, I thought you knew that all ready." She apologized.

He looked back at her just as confused.

"You _knew_?" He asked her.

"Well, when the girls and I were hiding, the three of them," She gestured to the aliens, "referred to each other as 'brother' and 'sister'….so, well, naturally….I would assume…."

"Ah." The Doctor nodded in understanding and smiled at her for having paid attention.

"It's a family business." Jocrassa added.

"Then you're out to make a profit." Amanda accused with an annoyed frown. "How can you do that on 'a Godforsaken rock'?" She taunted, throwing their words from earlier back at them.

They growled at her begrudgingly. Then the other brother asked the Doctor, skeptically…

"Uhhh, excuse me. Your device will do what—triplicate the flammability?"

"Is that what I said?" The Doctor asked innocently.

"You're making it up." Jocrassa accused.

Amanda let out a soft laugh, shaking her head.

"Well, surprisingly enough that actually lasted longer than I thought it would." She said to the Doctor with a smirk.

"Oh, well. Nice try." He replied flippantly, smiling back at her.

He then handed the decanter back to Harriet, not even bothering to offer it to Amanda. He knew she was very particular about the alcohol she liked.

"Harriet, have a drink." He offered.

"I think you're going to need it." Amanda added with an apologetic smile, and then laughed at the woman's response.

"You pass it to the left first." Harriet corrected him innocently.

'_Polite even in a dangerous situation like this._' Amanda marveled appreciatively.

"Sorry." The Doctor replied without skipping a beat and passed it instead to Rose.

"Thanks." Rose responded a little unsure about what was about to happen.

Amanda smiled at her reassuringly.

"Now we can end this hunt….with a slaughter." Jocrassa taunted threateningly.

"Don't you think we should run?" Rose prompted her two friends who were being oddly calm about the whole 'slaughter' thing.

She didn't know that Amanda felt no reason to panic with the Doctor acting as calm as he was, which usually meant that things would probably be fine. He either had a plan or was working one out. In this case, it was a bit of both.

"Fascinating history—Downing Street." The Doctor started rambling with a smug smirk, stalling the attack while simultaneously indulging in an opportunity to show off his random knowledge. "Two thousand years ago, this was marshland. 1730, it was occupied by a Mr. Chicken."

Amanda giggled, remembering when she and the Doctor had met him…..accidentally.

"He was a nice man." She added.

"1796, this was the Cabinet Room." He continued, smiling briefly at the shared memory. "If the Cabinet's in session and in danger, these are about the four most safest walls in the whole of Great Britain." He explained as he reached in front of Amanda to a small box on the wall and flipped the switch inside.

"End of lesson." Amanda teased them with a smug wink and a playful wave.

With a loud scraping noise, metal shutters began to snap shut around the room, securely closing off the door along with every window.

"Installed in 1991—three inches of steel lining every single wall." The Doctor explained to the girls triumphantly. "They'll never get in."

"And how do we get out?" Rose asked.

"Ah." The Doctor responded after a moment with a deflated smile, just now realizing the flaw in his plan.

"Meh, details." Amanda dismissed playfully. "What matters at the moment is that we're still alive. Speaking of which…."

She then jumped at the Doctor, throwing her arms around his neck in a tight hug and kissed his cheek.

"You're okay." She muffled into his shoulder then pulled away to give him a bright smile. "Excellent moves with the fire extinguisher, by the way." She praised him. "I think that might have been the most intense game of hide-n-seek I've probably ever played." She added jokingly.

He laughed at her comment, but then frowned when he finally noticed the cut and dried blood on her eyebrow.

"Ignore that. It's fine. Just a little bump." She assured him. "I attacked an unsuspecting chair with my face while helping the girls escape." She explained, trying to sound indifferent.

He didn't seem satisfied with her explanation, but let it go for now. He sat her down to do a quick patch-up. He dabbed a bit of the alcohol on the cut to get it some-what clean, making her wince and then closed the skin with the sonic.

"This seems to be happening more often than usual, lately…I need to be more careful." She frowned in embarrassment.

He smiled at her reassuringly, still holding the side of her head. She noticed that weird look in his eyes again, but then it was gone in a flash and he cleared his throat, standing up to walk away. When she looked to Rose, she saw that her friend was smirking, and she arched her eyebrow at her, as if to say 'what?'. Rose just shook her head and continued to smile. The Doctor caught Amanda's attention again when he started to drag the liaison's body across the room and into a closet.

"What was his name?" He asked them.

"Who?" Harriet wondered distractedly.

"This one, the, uh, secretary or whatever he was called." The Doctor reiterated.

"I don't know…I talked to him. I bought him a cup of coffee….I never asked his name." Harriet admitted guiltily.

"Indra…" Amanda informed them in a frustrated demeanor. "His name is Indra Ganesh." She sighed tiredly and put her head in her hands. She wasn't upset with any of them, but rather with herself. "First that poor pig and now him." She stood up abruptly and slammed her hand against the wall angrily. "I WAS RIGHT THERE! I should have moved faster…..the look on his face…."

"Oi!" The Doctor chided her. "What did I tell you earlier?"

Amanda let out a reluctant breath to calm herself and sat back down heavily in her chair.

"I can't save everyone." She answered, but then added softly, "I think that's been made obvious."

The Doctor heard her, but let it go for the moment. He'd have to talk to her about it again later. He heaved a sigh, looked back down at the lifeless man, Indra, and frowned apologetically.

"Sorry." He whispered, and then stood back up to join the others in the main room.

"Right, what have we got—" He asked them in his 'I'm in charge, now let's get down to business' voice while he scanned about the room with his sonic screwdriver.

Amanda couldn't help but smirk at his sudden change of pace and let out an amused chuckle which made the Doctor mentally smile. Though, he does sometimes worry about her when she gets frustrated with herself like she just did, she always manages to bounces back…just like him…'_Which in retrospect, might not actually be a good thing_'.

"—any terminals, anything?" He continued.

"No, this place is antique." Rose answered, having already had a good look around when they were in there before. "What I don't get is, when they killed the Prime Minister, why didn't they use him as a disguise?"

"He's too slim." Amanda explained. "Those suckers are pretty friggin big. They need to fit inside big humans."

"But, the Slitheen are about eight feet. How do they squeeze inside?" Rose wondered.

"That's the device around their necks—am I right Doctor?" Amanda asked and then continued when he nodded with an impressed smile. "Literally shrinks them down a bit."

"Compression field." The Doctor confirmed.

"That's why there's all that gas." Amanda added in realization. "It's a big exchange."

"Bingo!" He congratulated her.

She beamed at him and then laughed at Rose's next comment.

"Wish I had a compression field. I could fit a size smaller." She joked innocently.

"Excuse me, people are dead." Harriet reprimanded them. "This is not the time for making jokes."

"I'm not apologizing for my laughter. I needed it." Amanda tossed back flippantly, and then added in a more serious tone. "Don't you dare, for one second, accuse me of not caring."

Amanda then smiled as she got up and walked over to the fireplace to distract herself by examining the beautiful detailing of the ivy carved into the marble mantel piece while humming a random, up-beat tune.

"Sorry. You get used to this stuff when you're friends with them." Rose apologized with a smirk and a roll of her eyes.

"Well, that's a strange friendship." Harriet responded in a disapproving tone.

"Harriet Jones—" The Doctor thought out loud as he approached Amanda to scan the fireplace she was admiring. "I've heard that name before—Harriet Jones...you're not famous for anything, are you?"

"Hardly." She scoffed humorously.

"Rings a bell—Harriet Jones." He mused looking to Amanda questioningly.

"Nope. Sorry." Amanda replied in a whisper to his unasked question while continuing to look over the carved mantel. "I don't _know_ anything but her name. There is a strange sensation of disappointment in the back of my subconscious, but it doesn't feel relevant yet."

"Huh…odd." He murmured.

"Just a lifelong back-bencher, I'm afraid." Harriet explained, completely unaware that they were still whispering about her. "And a fat lot of use I'm being right now. The protocols are redundant. They list the people who can help, and they're all dead downstairs."

"Hasn't it got, like, defense codes and things?" Rose asked, trying to be helpful. "Can't we just launch a nuclear bomb at them?"

Harriet looked at her in shocked disapproval.

"You're a very violent young woman." She commented.

Amanda burst into fit of chuckles making Harriet look sternly at her as well. She couldn't help it though; the whole situation was getting ridiculous. Poor Rose misunderstood and thought Amanda wasn't taking her seriously.

"I'm serious. We could." Rose defended herself.

"Sorry sweetheart, I wasn't laughing at you." Amanda assured her with a sincere smile. "My brain just had a bit of a strange moment there…things are starting to get silly, though, I'd say insane would probably be a better word."

Harriet ignored Amanda's comment and focused back on Rose. Amanda didn't really care either way so she decided to concentrate on her favorite humming noise coming from the Doctor who was still sonicing the mantel.

"Well, there's nothing like that in here." Harriet started to explain. "Nuclear strikes do need a release code, but it's kept secret by the United Nations."

That bit of information seemed to catch the Doctor's attention.

"Say that again." He demanded.

"What—about the codes?" Harriet asked in confusion.

"Anything. All of it." He urged her.

"Um, well…..The British Isles can't gain access to atomic weapons without a special resolution from the U.N."

"Like that's ever stopped them." Rose scoffed sarcastically.

This bit caught Amanda's attention now too.

"Exactly, given our past record." Harriet agreed. "And I voted against that, thank you very much." She added assuredly. "The codes have been taken out of the government's hands and given to the U.N." She then looked back to the Doctor who was sharing a concerned look with Amanda. "Is it important?" She asked them.

"Everything's important, Harriet, remember that." Amanda responded distractedly while the Doctor nodded in agreement.

"If we only knew what the Slitheen wanted." Harriet wondered aloud. "Listen to me—I'm saying 'Slitheen' as if it's normal."

"See?" Amanda teased, snickering. "Like Rose said, you get used to it. Meeting the Doctor…..he tends to pop the tiny bubble that people like to keep their small, ignorantly blissful worlds in and helps them to expand. It's what he's best at." She affirmed.

Amanda smiled admiringly at him and he smirked at her in return.

"What _do_ they want though?" Rose asked curiously.

"Well, it's just one family, so it's not an invasion." The Doctor confirmed. "They don't want 'Slitheen World'."

"Whatever it is, they're in it for the money," Amanda reminded them, "so they must want to use something—some sort of asset found here on Earth."

The Doctor smiled approvingly at her which made her stomach flutter for some reason.

"Like what—" Harriet wondered. "—gold, oil, water?"

Amanda and the Doctor looked at her in surprise and smiled.

"You're very good at this." Amanda complimented her making Harriet blush.

"Thank you." She responded sheepishly.

"Harriet Jones—why do I know that name?" The Doctor wondered aloud again.

Just then, an obnoxious beeping sound went off and they all looked to Rose.

"Oh, that's me." She apologized, embarrassed, while fishing her cell phone out of her pocket.

"But we're sealed off. How'd you get a signal?" Harriet asked in confusion.

"He zapped it—'Superphone'." Rose explained flippantly.

"Then we can phone for Help." Harriet insisted. "You must have contacts."

"Dead downstairs, yeah." He answered distractedly as he watched Rose look at her phone, curiously.

Harriet looked questioningly at Amanda.

"Sorry." She apologized. "The Doctor's kind of it for me. Never really needed anyone else." She then turned to Rose. "So who texted you?"

"It's Mickey." Rose answered slightly surprised.

"Oh, tell your stupid boyfriend we're busy." The Doctor huffed in annoyance.

"Hey now," Amanda chastised him teasingly, "be nice, Doctor. Not all males can be as brilliant as you. Besides, he's not stupid, just a bit thick….well, I suppose he_ is_ rather pathetic as well…and he's—"

"Oi!" Rose cut her off.

"Sorry." Amanda apologized. "Forgot where I was going with that."

The Doctor smirked cheekily at her and she retaliated by sticking out her tongue. Their playful banter was cut off by Rose showing them her phone.

"Yeah, well he's not so stupid after all." She countered.

On the small screen was a picture of one of the aliens in Jackie's kitchen, looking like it was being electrocuted.

"Hey! That's what the female looked like after I helped you two get away earlier." Amanda told them. "One minute it was about to slash me with its claws (the Doctor flinched at this) and then suddenly, ZAP, it was lit up like a Christmas tree. It's why I was able to escape."

"That must have been when I used that electrified ID against the brothers." The Doctor realized, and then explained farther when he saw their confused looks. "You were right, Amanda, the badges were rigged to electrocute everyone who was wearing one when the siblings pressed the trigger. The whole meeting was just a trap."

Amanda gasped and quickly put her hand to his chest and moved aside the flaps of his jacket to check for scorch marks on his jumper.

"I'm fine." He reassured her and squeezed her shoulder. "Hurt like hell, but no damage done. I managed to get mine off and tossed it at one of their compression units."

"They must have them all on the same frequency." Amanda offered as a possibility.

"Unfortunately, the others in the meeting didn't make it. There was no way for a human to survive that many volts of electricity." He continued with a frown, and then, noticing Amanda's sad face, added sternly, "And don't you dare think that it was your fault they died young lady. I had a much better chance to do something about it than you did, but things don't always work out the way we want them to."

She nodded with a soft smile and accepted the reassuring hug he offered her, neither having noticed that Rose had called Mickey until they heard her speak up in concern.

"Is she alright though?" Rose asked him, but thought better of it and added, "Don't put her on. Just tell me."

The Doctor quickly snatched the phone from her and spoke into it.

"Is that Rickey?" He taunted before getting serious again. "Don't talk. Just shut up and go to your computer." He ordered him.

"Ah, rude!" Amanda reprimanded him as she snatched the phone away and put it on speaker to set it on the table. "You have to share." She teased.

Rose scoffed at them both.

"**It's Mickey. And why should I?"** They heard him grumble through the speaker.

"Mickey the idiot—I might just choke before I finish this sentence, but, uh, I need you." The Doctor admitted reluctantly.

Amanda had to cover a sudden bark of laughter with an obviously fake cough as she stared innocently around the room, avoiding the Doctor's sour face. After a moment, Mickey spoke up again.

"**It says password."**

The Doctor then picked up the phone so he could plug it into the conference-call speaker unit for better quality.

"Say again." The Doctor ordered after he'd finished setting it up.

"**It's asking for the password."**

"It's 'buffalo'—two F's, one 'L'." Amanda rattled off.

The Doctor looked at her in surprised shock making her sigh and shift uncomfortably.

"Honestly Doctor, when it happens, I feel awkward enough….are you really going to look at me like that every time?" She asked.

He shook his head to clear it and smiled apologetically.

"Sorry. Guess it still catches me off guard."

"You and me both." She admitted with a smirk.

"_**So what's that website?" **_Jackie's nasally voice came over the speaker.

"**All the secret information known to mankind." **Mickey explained conspiratorially. **"See, they've know about aliens for years. They just kept us in the dark."**

Amanda rolled her eyes in annoyance.

"Mickey, you were _born_ in the dark." She taunted.

"Oh, leave him alone." Rose sighed in exasperation.

She thought they were all acting very childish.

"**Thank you."** Mickey directed to Rose, and then grumbled to the others. **"It asks for a password again."**

The Doctor was about to respond, but instead, out of curiosity, he looked to Amanda expectantly. She closed her eyes and sighed with a strained smile.

"Just repeat it every time." She told him.

"Big Ben—why did the Slitheen go and hit Big Ben?" The Doctor wondered aloud.

"You said to gather the experts, to kill them." Harriet suggested, trying to be helpful as she passed out shots of the dark alcohol.

"No thanks," Amanda refused, "I'm a 'mixed-drinks' kind of girl...unless it's Green-Apple Pucker—love that stuff. And good guess by the way, but humans are jumpy, little things…those people would have gathered for a silly, weather balloon or crank-phone-call." She explained. "You don't need to crash-land in the middle of London."

The Doctor nodded his head in agreement.

"The Slitheen were hiding, but then they put the entire planet on 'Red Alert'." Rose pointed out. "What would they do that for?"

"_**Oh, listen to her."**_ Jackie rumbled sarcastically.

"Well, at least I'm trying." Rose argued.

"Hush up, Jackie." Amanda snapped in Rose's defense.

"_**Well, actually, I've got a question, if you don't mind."**_ Jackie bit back, ignoring Amanda's retort. _**" 'Cause since those two walked into our lives, I've been attacked in the streets, I've had a creature from the pits of hell in my own living room, and my daughter disappear off the face of the Earth."**_

"I told you what happened." Rose tried to cut her off in a tired huff, but Jackie just plowed on.

'_So that's where she gets it from._' Amanda thought, grinning to herself as she remembered Rose ranting at Mr. Sneed. But then she frowned again at Jackie's next comment.

"_**I'm talking to **_**them," **She snapped, _**" 'Cause I've seen this life of yours, Doctor and whatever-your-name-is—"**_

"Amanda." Said person growled in annoyance. "Honestly, how hard is that?" She asked the others who could only shrug. Jackie just ignored her again.

"—_**and maybe you two get off on it, and maybe you think it's all clever and smart, but you tell me—just answer me this—is my daughter safe?" **_

"I'm fine." Rose assured her, thinking she was just overreacting.

"_**Is she safe?" **_Jackie repeated, ignoring__Rose's reassurance._** "Will she always be safe? Can you promise me that?"**_

Amanda and the Doctor looked at each other for a moment. Neither of them wanting to be the one to answer. They then glanced to Rose who flashed them a small smile. They were torn between the truth and denial.

"_**Well, what's the answer?" **_Jackie asked insistently when no one responded.

Luckily, Mickey chose that moment to interrupt, saving them from having to answer right away. (or at all for that matter)

"**We're in." **

The Doctor immediately jumped back into action.

"Now, then, on the left, at the top, there's a tab, an icon—little concentric circles—click on that." He ordered.

The speaker let out a whooring noise.

"What is it?" Mickey asked in confusion.

"The Slitheen have got a spaceship in the North Sea, and it's transmitting that signal. Now hush. Let me work out what it's saying." He ordered as he leaned in to listen.

"_**They'll have to answer me one day."**_ Jackie commented in the background.

"**Hush!"** Mickey shushed her.

A few seconds passed as they all listened in.

"It's some sort of message." The Doctor finally spoke up.

"But what's it saying?" Rose asked curiously.

"I don't know." He answered.

"Sort of sounds like it's on a loop, doesn't it?" Amanda pointed out. "The same sequence of sound keeps repeating."

The Doctor nodded, a little surprised she was able to tell. Then an obnoxious buzzing rang through the speaker. Amanda had to plug her ears from the pitch of it and hissed in pain. She'd had her ear right next to the device when it went off.

"Hush!" The Doctor snapped at them, annoyed with the interruption and the fact that it caused Amanda pain.

"**That's not me." **Mickey retorted as the buzzing continued.** "Go and see who that is." **He ordered Jackie.

"_**It's 3:00 in the morning." **_She pointed out.

"**Well, go and tell them that." **He argued.

"It's beaming out into space. Who's it for?" The Doctor wondered out loud.

Suddenly, they could faintly hear Jackie freaking out in the background.

"**They've found us." **Mickey explained worriedly.

"Mickey, we need that signal." Amanda urged impatiently.

They really didn't need him to start flipping out at the moment. He needed to stay focused, but Rose disagreed.

"Never mind the signal! Get out, mum!" She demanded. "Just get out! Get out!"

"**We can't. It's by the front door." **Mickey explained nervously, and then added, **"Oh, my God. It's unmasking. It's going to kill us."**

Harriet finally spoke up again.

"There's got to be some way of stopping them!" She shouted franticly, then, she turned her focus to the Doctor. "You're supposed to be the expert. Think of something!"

"I'm trying!" He insisted.

"Everyone just needs to chill out!" Amanda snapped, and then added calmly. "Panicking and running about like headless chickens isn't going to help anyone."

"**I'll take it on Jackie. You just run." **Mickey offered, trying to sound brave. **"Don't look back. Just run."**

"That's my mother." Rose spoke up looking worried, silently demanding her friends to dosomething...anything.

"Right!" The Doctor shot off around the table in determination. "If we're gonna find their weakness, we need to find out where they're from, which planet. So judging by their basic shape, that narrows it down to five thousand planets within traveling distance. What else do we know about them? Information."

The girls racked their brains trying to remember what they could. Amanda had to grip her head as she fought off a massive headache.

"Shit!" She gasped. "I—it's—they're…..I know them! Why do I know them?" She muttered to herself.

"They're green." Rose pointed out in a rush.

"Yep, narrows it down." The Doctor encouraged.

"Good sense of smell." She added.

"Narrows it down."

"They can smell adrenaline and blood." She reiterated.

"Narrows it down."

Harriet then jumped in, adding to the list.

"The pig technology."

"Narrows it down."

Then Rose added…

"The spaceship in the Thames—you said Slipstream Engine?"

"Narrows it down."

"**It's getting in." **Mickey warned them.

Rose was becoming panicked.

"Oh, they hunt like it's a ritual." She pointed out.

"Narrows it down."

"Wait a minute!" Harriet gasped. "Did you notice? When they fart—if you'll pardon the word—it doesn't just smell like a fart—if you'll pardon the word. It's something else." She blanched. "What is it? It's more like, um….."

"Bad breath." Rose suggested.

"That's it!" Harriet agreed.

"Calcium decay!" The Doctor confirmed excitedly. "Now, that narrows it down."

"We're getting there mum." Rose assured them.

The Doctor was on a roll now.

"Calcium Phosphate, organic calcium, living calcium, creatures made out of living calcium. What else? What else?" He wondered to himself. "Hyphenated surname— yes! That narrows it down to one planet."

Amanda suddenly slammed both of her hands down onto the table, startling them.

"RAXACORICOFALLAPATORIUS!" She shouted.

Her shoulders trembled slight and she was breathing like she'd just run a marathon as she lowered herself into a chair. She started to rub her temples to relieve them of the pain she was feeling.

"YES!" The Doctor agreed, grinning excitedly.

"**Oh, yeah, great. We could write 'em a letter."** Mickey suggested sarcastically.

But the Doctor ignored him and frowned in worry when he noticed the state Amanda was in. "What's wrong? What did you do?"

"I'm sorry. I know—you warned me—not to— but— I forced it." She explained through her deep breaths. "Doctor—they need vinegar." She added.

He nodded with a frown as he jumped back over to the speaker where they could hear Jackie screaming in fright. He'd reprimand her later.

"Get into the kitchen." He commanded Mickey. "Amanda's right. Calcium, weakened by the compression field. Acetic acid—vinegar." He explained to the others.

"Just like Hannibal!" Harriet cheered in recognition.

"Just like Hannibal." The Doctor confirmed. "Mickey, have you got any vinegar?"

"**How should I know?"** He grunted.

"It's your kitchen." The Doctor countered in exasperation.

"Cupboard by the sink, middle shelf." Rose snapped hurriedly.

She just wanted her mum to be safe.

"_**Oh, give it here. What do you need?"**_ Came Jackie's frustrated voice through the speaker.

"Anything with vinegar." The Doctor answered.

They heard the sound of pots and pans clanking together and jars scraping about.

"_**Gherkins. Yeah, pickled onions…picked eggs!"**_

"You kiss this man?" Amanda asked Rose sarcastically while blanching in disgust.

Those things sounded horrible. Honestly, who eats crap like that? The four of them listened as the creature crashed through the kitchen door. There was a splash which must have been Jackie tossing the rancid concoction at it followed by a silent pause before…SHPLAT! The alien exploded.

They all sighed in relief except for Mickey and Jackie who were in shock from being splattered by alien guts.

"Hannibal?" Rose asked curiously now that she was able to calm down.

"Hannibal crossed the Alps by dissolving boulders with vinegar." Harriet explained.

"Oh. Well, there you go, then." Rose mused flippantly.

The small group, excluding Amanda, lifted their glasses to say 'cheers' and downed their shots. Amanda then had to quickly make her way over to a box of tissues in the corner because her nose started to bleed.

"Crap!" She yelped.

The Doctor ran over to her and sat her back down while pulling out his sonic screwdriver to run a quick scan. She stubbornly tried to waive him away.

"I'm fine. Really, you don't have to—"

"Stop it." He snapped in a whisper, instantly silencing her. "That was very stupid. You know that?"

"I'm sorry." She whispered back guiltily.

"Don't you ever do that again. Got it? Never." He reprimanded her. "Promise me."

"I promise. It's just I—"

"No." He cut her off again. "I told you, if these memories or vision or whatever they are come to you then they have to happen on their own. You can't force them like that. You'll only end up hurting yourself."

She looked down to the floor in embarrassment and shame. She couldn't stand it when he was disappointed in her. It rarely ever happened, but when it did…it was like a stab to the heart.

"You were lucky. Next time it might not be just a headache and a bloody nose as consequence." He lifted her chin so she was looking at his face. "You've come this far, don't start acting like a stupid ape on me _now._"

"Naw, that's Mickey's job." She joked.

He tried to stay stern, but he just couldn't help himself and let out a soft chuckle with a bright smile.

"I'm sorry I worried you." She apologized sincerely giving him a quick hug which he gladly accepted.

When they pulled apart, they both stared at each other for a moment, not really registering how it looked to the others nor did they care (Rose was smirking like mad of course). They just took a moment to relax from the previous tension, just enjoying their proximity to each other, their presence calming the other down.

Unfortunately, their little moment was ruined when Mickey's voice came through the speaker again, forcing them back into reality. The Doctor helped her up and together, they walked over to hear what was going on.

"**Hey, listen to this."**

The sound of one of the male Slitheen siblings that was impersonating the new acting Prime Minister was heard giving a speech on the television in Mickey's flat.

"_**Our inspectors have searched the sky above our heads, and they have found massive weapons of destruction, capable of being deployed within forty-five seconds."**_

"What?" The Doctor asked rhetorically in both disbelief and confusion.

"_**Our technicians can baffle the alien probes, but not for long. We are facing extinction…unless we strike first. The United Kingdom stands directly beneath the belly of the mother ship. I beg the United Nations—pass an emergency resolution. Give us the access codes. A nuclear strike at the heart of the beast is our only chance of survival. Because….from this moment on—it is my solemn duty to inform you—planet Earth is at war."**_

"He's making it up. There's no weapons up there. There's no threat. He's just invented it." The Doctor huffed as he paced about the room.

"Do you think they'll believe him?" Harriet asked starting to get worried again.

"Well, they did last time." Rose tossed out.

"That's why the creepy Gerber Baby 'family' went for a big, flashy spectacle." Amanda pointed out, and then added... "They wanted to get the whole world freaked out and riled up into a panic, 'cause what do humans do when they get scared…..they lash out."

"Exactly." The Doctor confirmed in irritation as he walked up to the main door, then he paused and looked back at Amanda curiously. "Did you really just call them 'The Gerber Baby Family'?"

"Heck yes I did." She answered with her hands on her hips as if challenging him to contradict her. "You've seen their faces. They're like giant, green, disproportionate, alien Gerbers….except, well….with, um….claws…." She trailed off, starting to get flustered.

The Doctor just looked at her with his head cocked to the side and slightest hint of a teasing smirk.

"You know what…just— hush." She huffed trying hard not to smile.

The Doctor rolled his eyes and turned back to the door. Rose wanted to make sure she was following on the right track as to what was going on so she spoke up, bringing everyone back into focus as she did.

"They release the defense codes…." She started.

"And the Slitheen go nuclear." The Doctor finished, unfortunately confirming her suspicions.

"But why?" Harriet asked.

Instead of answering her, the Doctor flipped the switch back and re-opened the metal shutter on the door reviling a room full of several more Slitheen than there were originally. They had just been laughing and talking with each other, but paused into complete silence momentarily caught off guard by the sudden grinding noise, which the Doctor took advantage of.

"You get the codes, release the missiles." He spouted off without skipping a beat. "But not into space, 'cause there's nothing there. You attack every other country on Earth, they retaliate, fight back. World War Three—the whole planet gets nuked."

The female from before, back in her 'human suit' stepped forward with a smug grin.

"And we can sit through it safe in our spaceship, waiting in the Thames." She admitted. "Not crashed, just parked, barely two minutes away."

"But you'll destroy this beautiful place. what for?" Harriet asked in disbelief.

Without skipping a beat, both the Doctor and Amanda answered simultaneously.

"Profit."

"That's what the signal is beaming into space—an advert." The Doctor clarified.

"Sale of the century. We reduce the Earth to molten slag and sell it, piece by piece." The sister explained with a sinister smirk. "Radioactive chunks, capable of powering every cut-price starliner and budget cargo ship." Then she became serious. "There's a recession up there Doctor, people are buying cheap. This rock becomes raw fuel."

"At the coast of five billion lives…and that's only counting the humans." Amanda pointed out trying to make them realize what they were doing.

"Bargain." She answered flippantly.

That response set the Doctor and Amanda's resolve. One chance…

"Then I give you a choice. Leave this planet or I'll stop you." The Doctor offered.

The family laughed at him.

"What?" The sister asked skeptically, still snickering. "You?" She stepped forward and sneered at him. "Trapped in your box?" She taunted.

All the emotions completely drained from their faces.

"Yes. Me." The Doctor answered.

Amanda could sense the slightest hint of sadness in his voice and she grabbed his hand.

"Remember this…..whatever happens next…..you brought it upon yourselves." She warned.

The two of them stared at the woman in complete seriousness without breaking eye contact. The Doctor reached over with his free hand and flipped the switch again to close the shutters. The woman was staring back at them with a smug smirk that took on a slight hit of worry at the last second, just as the shutters closed.

Harriet and Rose moved to stand around the table, both worrying about what would happen next. The Doctor walked over to stand by one of the windows pulling Amanda along with him. He was starting to get anxious and she could see it. He had a lot of thinking to do. He went to let go of her hand and cross his arms, but she wouldn't let him and instead, she gripped his hand tighter and grasped onto his other hand as well, rubbing soothing circles on the backs of them with her thumbs.

"Hey. Look at me." She commanded in a whisper so the other two wouldn't hear. "Doctor, I know what has to happen next if we want to save the Earth and I know it's going to be a hard decision for you to make and I don't think it's fair to you that the universe is always forcing you to do things like this. You've saved the world so many times and they aren't even aware. They don't know how lucky they are to have someone as wonderful as you constantly sticking up for them."

He tried to interject but she just continued anyways, cutting him off.

"Look…I also understand that no matter what option you go with, there's a good chance that we won't come out of it unharmed and I just want you to know Doctor….I've got your back….you'll have my full support and I'll stand by you no matter what." She then sighed in annoyance with herself and added with an exasperated smirk… "Even knowing full well that I could now die with 'The Pretenders – I'll Stand By You', stuck in my head."

He gave her a half-hearted smile back, but it only lasted a second. He nodded his head in thanks so she would know that he heard her and he did appreciate the encouragement that she offered. She was right, it wasn't fair. He stared down at their hands deep in thought, combing through the few options they were left with, hating each one as much as the next.

Just then, Rose's cell phone rang and she quickly answered it, leaving it attached to the conference speaker.

"It's my mum!" Rose announced to the others.

"_**All right Doctor and whatever your name is—"**_Jackie's voice buzzed through the speaker making Rose grimace apologetically towards Amanda.

"I give up." Amanda grumbled.

"—_**I'm not saying I trust you…but there must be something you can do."**_

"If we can ferment the port, then we could make acetic acid." Harriet suggested.

"Mickey, any luck?" Rose tried hopefully.

"There's loads of emergency numbers, but they're all on voice-mail." He informed her.

"Voice-mail dooms us all." Harriet jabbed sarcastically as she cleared away their drinks.

"If we could just get out of here..." Rose huffed in frustration.

The Doctor looked up at this with a blank face.

"There's a way out." He told them.

Rose whipped her head around and looked at him in confusion.

"What?" She asked.

"There's always been a way out." Amanda replied.

"Then why don't we use it." Rose asked disbelievingly.

The Doctor walked over to the main table and leaned towards the speaker.

"Because I can't guarantee your daughter will be safe." He explained.

"_**Don't you dare. Whatever it is—don't you dare." **_Jackie warned them.

Amanda closed her eyes and sighed.

"That's the thing—if I don't dare, then everyone dies." The Doctor countered.

"Do it." Rose commanded, trying to sound brave.

Amanda and the Doctor looked at her seriously.

"You don't even know what it is and you'd just let me?" He asked her.

"Yeah." She replied firmly.

"_**Please, Doctor, please. She's my daughter—She's just a kid." **_Jackie begged.

"You think we don't know that?" Amanda asked indignantly.

They both knew very well that Rose didn't fully understand the implications of what she was agreeing to, nor should she ever have to, and they wouldn't let her just jump on board so flippantly.

"This is my life, Jackie. It's not fun, it's not smart—it's standing up and making a decision because nobody else will." The Doctor snapped.

"Then what are you waiting for?" Rose asked softly, looking at her friends in slight admiration and determination.

Amanda sighed as she stared knowingly at Rose.

"I could save the world…..but loose the two of you." The Doctor responded uneasily.

Harriet chose this moment to assert what little authority she had, saving the Doctor from having to make the choice.

"Except it's not your decision, Doctor." She pointed out. "It's mine."

"_**And who the hell are you?" **_Jackie snapped.

"Harriet Jones, PM for Flydale North, the only elected person in this room, chosen by the people, for the people—and on behalf of the people, I command you…do it."

There was a moment's pause before Amanda and the Doctor were grinning like mad. Rose couldn't help but smile herself at the looks on her friend's faces.

"How do we get out?" She asked them as she practically hopped halfway across the table.

"We don't. We stay here." Amanda answered her.

The Doctor snagged the red briefcase that the 'Emergency Protocols' had originally come in and opened it up.

"Use the 'buffalo' password, it overrides everything." The Doctor directed Mickey once he'd found the papers he'd been looking for. "Look to the right of the screen, should be the second icon down, click on that.

"_**What are you doing?" **_Jackie asked worriedly.

"**Hacking into the Royal Navy."** He answered in awe of his own actions, but then he became focused again. **"We're in. Here it is…uh…H.M.S. Taurean, Trafalgar class submarine, ten miles off the coast of Plimoth."**

"Right, we need to select a missile."

"**We can't go nuclear—we don't have the defense code."**

"We don't need it." The Doctor assured him. "All we need is an ordinary missile."

Amanda moved closer to the table to be with the others.

"Why the hell is everyone so obsessed with going nuclear?" She asked in annoyance.

The Doctor smiled at her briefly before returning to the task at hand.

"What's the first category?" He asked.

"**Sub Harpoon, UGM-84A."**

"That's the one. Select." The Doctor directed enthusiastically.

"_**I could stop you."**_ They heard Jackie say to mickey half-heartedly.

"**Do it then."** He challenged her.

There was a moment's pause as the others listened to hear what would happen. They were running out of time though.

"Mickey, are you ready for this?" Amanda asked, bringing them all back to focus.

There was another short pause before he finally answered.

"**Yeah."**

"Mickey the idiot…the world is in your hands—"

"Oh, God." Amanda sighed, uneasily.

The Doctor took in a deep breath.

"—fire."

After a few seconds, Harriet jumped up and moved towards the metal shutters placing her hand against one in both curiosity and determination.

"How solid are these?" She asked.

"Not solid enough." Amanda answered.

"They were built for short-ranged attacks, nothing _this_ big." The Doctor explained.

"Alright, now I'm making the decision." Rose informed them. "I'm not going to die. We're going to ride this one out."

Amanda looked at her in confusion yet still somewhat impressed with her take charge attitude. Rose looked like she actually had something legitimate up her sleeve. They all watched as she leaped towards the closet door where they'd stored the dead bodies earlier.

"It's like what they say about earthquakes. You can survive them by standing under a door-frame." She started to explain, in a rush. "Now, this cupboard's small, so it's strong." She turned back to the others. "Come and help me. Come on." She demanded.

Harriet quickly rushed over to help while Amanda and the Doctor remained where they were. Amanda nudged the Doctor's ribs and he looked down to see her smirking face.

"She's pretty good." She admitted, nodding her head in Rose's direction. "I like her."

The doctor nodded in agreement, and then Amanda's face became sad.

"If we _do_ survive this….do you think she'll stay?" She asked, then after a second thought, she added, "_Should_ she stay….with us, I mean?"

"Honestly…..I don't know." He replied.

They continued to watch Rose for a moment in thought and appreciation as the girl rushed about with Harriet, trying to clear-out the little closet.

"**It's on radar."** Mickey warned them. **"Counter the defense 'five-five-six'."**

The Doctor quickly ran around to the other side of the table.

"Stop them intercepting it." He directed in a rush.

"**I'm doing it now."**

"Good boy." Amanda affirmed.

"**Five-five-six, neutralized."** Mickey assured them.

The Doctor snagged the cell phone off the table while Amanda helped the girls get the last few things out of the closet. The four of them then quickly piled into the small space. Harriet at the back, then Rose and the Doctor who sat next to each other, followed lastly by Amanda, who slammed the door shut and was practically pulled into the Doctor's lap. He wrapped one arm around her, keeping her tight against his chest and he wrapped the other arm around Rose. From this position, Amanda was able to hold on tightly to Rose's hand and still reach her free arm around the Doctor to hold one of Harriet's as well.

Amanda had a side thought and looked over to Rose with a smile.

"Hey Rose." She called, "Doesn't this seem a bit familiar?"

Rose barked a quick, shaky laugh in agreement.

"Where's Dickens when you need him?" She asked.

"Well, at least we're in your proper time stream for this one." Amanda joked.

She then looked up at the Doctor.

"We had fun, right?" She asked him.

He stared down at her with a soft smile.

"Yeah…yeah we did."

Amanda leaned up and kissed his cheek then buried her face in the crook of his neck.

"Nice meeting you Harriet Jones." The Doctor called back to the woman.

"You all as well Doctor." She replied politely, griping Amanda's hand tighter. "Hannibal!"

They could hear the whistling rush of the missile as it came closer and they all braced themselves for the impact.

_**!BOOOOM!**_

The four of them tumbled about, being violently jerked around before their little box finally crashed. The Doctor noticed that he'd landed on something soft and looked down. He was lying on top of Amanda and her eyes were closed.

"Amanda, are you okay?" He asked her, but she didn't respond. "Amanda." He tried again, patting her cheek, but still nothing. "Amanda!" He shouted franticly.

She gasped and flinched away from his loud voice.

"I'm awake!" She yelped. "Oh, wow, you're heavy." She grumbled teasingly.

"Thank you!" He sighed happily, relieved that she was okay.

He kissed her forehead before he rolled off of her to check on the other two.

"You all right Rose?" He asked her, giving her a once over."

"Yeah." Rose answered, shaking herself off.

Amanda climbed over to her and gave her a crushing hug which Rose returned just as enthusiastically. Both were glad the other was alright.

"Harriet?" The Doctor called out.

"I'm fine." She assured them.

The Doctor then moved over to open the door and see what the damage was. All that was left of 10 Downing Street was a pile of rubble, smoke and a few small fires dotted about. Harriet leaned her head out of the open doorway and patted the outside of the metal box.

"Made in Britten." She claimed in approval.

As she stepped out, a soldier approached her.

"Ma'am, are you all right?" He asked in concern.

Without skipping a beat, Harriet whipped out her badge and went into 'leader mode'.

"Harriet Jones, MP for Flydale. I want you to contact the U.N. immediately and tell the ambassadors the crisis is over. They can step down."

The man just stared at her dumbly for a moment.

"Go on. Tell the news." She urged him.

He snapped back to attention and wondered off to do as she commanded.

"Yes ma'am."

Harriet looked back to the others who had climbed out after her. They were staring at her, impressed.

"Someone's got a hell of a job, sorting this stuff out." Harriet commented, indicating the piles of rubble around them. "Oh, Lord!" She gasped in realization. "We haven't even got a Prime Minister."

"Well, maybe _you_ should have a go." The Doctor suggested.

Harriet gaped at him in surprise.

"Me?" She asked skeptically with a small chuckle. "I'm only a back-bencher."

"I'd vote for you." Rose cheered her on.

"Me too." Amanda assured. "Well, you know…if it weren't for the whole '_I'm American_' thing…"

"Now don't be silly." She chided them half-heartedly. "Look, I'd better go and see if I can help." She told them as she started to step through the bits of debris towards the newly arrived emergency crew. "Hang on!" She called out to them.

The trio smiled at her retreating form.

"We're safe! The Earth is safe!" Harriet continued to call out. "Sergeant—"

"I thought I knew the name." The Doctor said cheerfully. "Harriet Jones, future Prime Minister. Elected for three successful terms—the architect of Britain's 'Golden Age'."

"—the crisis has passed! Ladies and gentlemen, I have something to say to you all." She declared to the gathering reporters. "Man-kind stands tall, proud, and undefeated…."

Her voice faded out of their hearing range as the trio walked away, heading back to Rose's flat.

"You know, Doctor…" Amanda spoke up. "We seem to be blowing things up a lot lately." She pointed out with a teasing smirk.

He just rolled his eyes and shoved her playfully as they continued to walk.

"Oh hush."

She laughed and linked arms with both him and Rose making them chuckle as well.

*******The TARDIS Console Room/About 30 minutes later*******

Rose had gone up to her flat to calm down her mother and sort things out while Amanda and the Doctor went straight to the TARDIS. Once inside, the two of them let out a happy sigh with matching grins.

"Hello Lover! Did you miss us?" Amanda called out as she went to hug one of the coral-like support beams.

The ship responded with an enthusiastic hum making Amanda giggle.

"It's always feels so good to be home after a crazy adventure." Amanda admitted with another content sigh.

The Doctor nodded in agreement as he messed with a few controls and checked the monitor. He then picked up the TARDIS phone and called Rose.

"**Hello?" **She answered.

"Right. We'll be a couple of hours, then we can go." He informed her.

"**You've got a phone?"** She asked in surprise.

"You think I can travel through space and time and haven't got a phone?" He responded in mock offense, making Amanda laugh. "Like I said, a couple of hours…I've just got to send out this dispersal—there you go—that's canceling out the Slitheen's advert in case any bargain hunters turn up." He explained cheerfully.

"**Um…"** Rose started hesitantly. **"My mother's cooking."** She told him.

"Good! Put her on a slow heat and let her simmer." He joked.

Amanda looked at him oddly with one eyebrow raised in confusion. He just shook his head indicating that he'd tell her later. She walked over and plopped down onto the jump-seat while he continued to walk about the console.

"**She's cooking tea for all of us." **

The Doctor became serious again.

"I don't do _that_ and Amanda's not much of a fan either."

"What?" Amanda asked.

"Jackie's cooking tea for us." He explained.

"You mean she wants to have us over for dinner?"

He nodded in confirmation.

"Oh, God, no!" Amanda responded, horrified at the idea.

"**She wants to get to know you. Both of you." **Rose insisted.

"Tough." The Doctor scoffed. "We've got better things to do."

"**It's just tea."** She chastised him.

"Not to us it isn't." He countered.

"**She's my mother."** She tried, but he shot that down too.

"Well she's not ours."

"**That's not fair."** Rose snapped, starting to get frustrated with his lack of cooperation.

"Well you can stay there if you want." He offered in challenge.

"Nooo!" Amanda whined pathetically. She really liked Rose.

There was a short pause as Rose considered this and so, the Doctor tried to change tactics.

"But right now, there's this plasma storm brewing in the 'Horse Head' nebula. Fires are burning ten million miles wide. I could fly the TARDIS right into the heart of it, then ride the shock-wave all the way out, hurtle right across the sky and end up…_anywhere_." He paused for dramatic affect. "Your choice." And without waiting for her answer, he hung up.

"Right. Well, I actually _am_ hungry, so I think I'm gonna go snag myself something to munch on while we wait for her to get here." Amanda said as she headed for the kitchen. "You want anything?" She offered.

"No, I'm fine."

"Hhmmm….cereal sounds good." She muttered to herself as she walked off.

*******Time-Skip/Hour & a Half Later*******

The Doctor made his way towards the main doors of the TARDIS to step outside with Amanda trailing behind him.

"I still can't believe you've actually got the poor kid scrubbing the side of her." She commented with a shake of her head.

"Oi. He did the crime, he can do the time." The Doctor countered.

"What did he write anyways?" She asked out of curiosity.

She had been munching away on a bowl of Captain Crunch when the Doctor had walked into the kitchen to fill up a bucket with soapy water. At the time, she hadn't bothered to go and see the kid's handiwork for herself and now that she thought about it, she kind of wished she had.

"Bad Wolf." He told her.

He then leaned out and around the side of the ship to check on the boy's progress not noticing the way Amanda paused mid-step as a shiver ran up her spine. Memories from her conversation with Gwyneth passed through her mind, but she quickly shook it off and stepped out into the fresh air.

"Good lad. Graffiti that again and I'll _have_ you. Now beat it." The Doctor warned the boy, dismissing him.

The little boy dropped the scrubber into the bucket and ran away, not needing to be told twice. The Doctor grinned at his retreating form. He wasn't actually upset, he was only overdramatizing it so the kid would know that tagging was wrong.

"Did you have to be so mean, Doctor?" Amanda chided, wrapping an arm around his waist in a sort of one-armed hug. "It's not like he caused any _real _damage."

He was about to explain his actions when he noticed she had on a teasing smirk of her own.

"Oh, hush, you." He grumbled, making her chuckle.

The two of them then walked over to Mickey who was sitting on top of a red, metal trash bin, reading a newspaper.

"I just went down to the shop." Mickey informed them. "And I was thinking, you know, like, the whole worlds changed. Aliens and spaceships are all in public….and here it is…" He held up the Paper in frustration for them to see the headline that read _**'Alien Hoax?'**_. "How can they? How can they do that? They saw it."

The other two just smiled thoughtfully.

"Humans have always believed what they _want _to believe, Mickey. Clearly, they just aren't ready to accept that they're not alone in the universe yet." Amanda offered.

"You have to believe in something that's invisible, but if it's staring you right in the face—nope, can't see it." The Doctor agreed. "There's a scientific explanation for that—you're thick." He added teasingly.

The three of them chuckled at this. It was so true.

"We're just idiots." Mickey half asked, half stated good-naturedly.

"Well…not all of you." The Doctor commented with a smirk, glancing at him.

"Yeah?" Mickey asked.

Amanda smiled and nodded in agreement.

"Oh, Doctor!" She gasped and nudged him. "The disk."

He reached into his pockets and pulled out a black, computer disk. He then held it out to Mickey.

"A present for you, Mickey."

"It's a virus!" Amanda explained cheerfully. "Put online and it will obliterate any mention of the Doctor's existence—_POOF_!" She grinned dramatically. "Like he was never here."

"Why would I do that for?" Mickey asked in confusion.

"Because you were right." The Doctor answered. "I _am_ dangerous—I don't want anybody following me."

"How can you say that and then take _her_ with you?" Mickey chastised, gesturing over to Rose who was approaching with her mother.

Amanda saw that the Doctor had a strange look on his face as if he were contemplating something about Mickey. '_Oh, no…he's not about to do what I think he's about to do…..is he?_' She thought begrudgingly.

"You could look after her—" He suggested, then offered, "—come with us."

'_Noooo!_' Amanda groaned in her head.

"Yeah—" Amanda agreed with a forced smile, her words coming out strained. "—there's always room for one more."

"I can't—this life of yours—it's just too much, I couldn't do it." Mickey declined.

Amanda gave a mental cheer.

"Don't tell her I said that." He added quickly.

The two of them gave him a nod in silent agreement and stepped away just as the Tyler's came near.

"I'll get a proper job." Jackie promised, trying to persuade her daughter to stay. "I'll work weekends—I'll pass my tests, and if Jim comes around again, I'll say no. I really will."

Rose stopped and gave her mother a bemused smile.

"I'm not leaving because of you." She reassured her, and then added flippantly, "I'm traveling—that's all—and then I'll come back."

That didn't seem to make her mother feel any better though.

"It's not safe." Jackie pointed out.

"Mom" Rose sighed. "If you saw it out there—you'd never stay home."

"Got enough stuff?" The Doctor teased.

"She's a girl, Doctor." Amanda pointed out as if it should have been obvious.

"Last time I stepped in there, it was spur-of-the-moment." Rose explained, thrusting her bag into the Doctor's arms with her own teasing smirk. "Now I'm signing up—you two are stuck with me. Ha!"

"Besides …" Amanda added in nonchalance. "I have access to the entire TARDIS wardrobe. So…in retrospect…her bag really isn't all that much."

Rose then wandered over to Mickey.

"Come with us—there's plenty of room." Rose suggested to him.

Mickey started to get tongue-tied so the Doctor stepped in to save him.

"No chance…he's…uhh….." The Doctor started, fanning an authoritative voice.

"Liability?" Amanda offered.

"Right." The Doctor agreed. "I'm not having him on board."

"We'd be dead without _him_." Rose pointed out in disbelief of what they were saying.

"That decision is final Rose." Amanda said sternly. "Besides…he and I would just fight all the time and Lord knows I can be stubborn."

Rose looked back at Mickey apologetically.

"Sorry."

Mickey just shrugged his shoulders and leaned in, giving Rose a quick kiss goodbye.

"Good luck, then." He offered.

Jackie still wasn't satisfied though. She refused to give in.

"You still can't promise me." She accused. "What if she gets lost? What if something happens to you two and she's left all alone, standing on some moon a million light-years away—how long do I wait then?" She snapped.

"Fine Jackie, she'll stay—" Amanda agreed.

"WHAT?" Both Rose and the Doctor yelped simultaneously, but Amanda ignored them.

"But only if you can promise _me_ something." She continued.

"Oh yeah—and what's that?" Jackie asked.

"Promise me that if we leave Rose here, she will be safe. I want you to guarantee to me right now, that she would never get hurt. That she'd never get sick with some random illness or cancer, that she'd never get mugged or caught up in some sort of robbery, that she won't trip down the stairs when she leaves the flat, that every time she goes to cross the street—she'll make it to the other side, that any time she gets into any form of transportation—she won't crash. I want you to promise the same thing about yourself as well—that nothing will ever happen to you and that she will never be left alone." She ranted. "Can you promise me that, Jackie?"

Jackie gaped at her for a second like a fish out of water.

"Well? Can you?" Amanda prompted.

"That's not fair." She protested. "I don't have control over those things."

"Exactly." Amanda responded calmly. "Neither does the Doctor. Accidents happen Jackie, and I've been learning that the hard way myself….so, no—we can't promise you that she'll be safe at all times, but I can at least guarantee you that we'll sure as hell do our best to try. We're giving Rose the chance to see the stars, Jackie…..How many mothers do you know that can say their daughters have seen the universe?"

Jackie didn't answer. She just stared warily at her Rose.

"Mum—you're forgetting…it's also a time machine." Rose tried. I can go traveling around suns and planets and all the way out to the edge of the universe—by the time I get back—yeah—ten seconds will have past. Just ten seconds. So stop worrying, I'll see you in ten seconds time."

Both Amanda and the Doctor chose this moment to head back into the TARDIS while Rose finished her goodbyes. It was starting to get really mushy and uncomfortable.

"That…uh, was a nice little ramble you gave out there." The Doctor tossed out with a grin.

"Ha!" Amanda chirped. "I don't think it really left much of an impression though."

"Yeah, probably not." He agreed.

They both chuckled, but then Amanda became serious again.

"That wasn't fair of her, Doctor. No one should ever make someone promise something like that and don't you dare ever let someone bully you into thinking that you should."

The two of them shared a soft smile and once the Doctor had set down Rose's bag, Amanda gave him a big, comforting hug. The moment was interrupted though when Rose walked in with a big cheesy smile on her face once she'd seen them.

"So…" The Doctor chirped excitedly as he lept towards the console. "Where to next?"

The girls giggled at his silly antics.

"Oh, OH!" Amanda gasped overdramatically while waiving her hand in the air like a student. "Can we go to that plasma storm in the 'Horse Head' nebula you told Rose about over the phone earlier? Fires burning ten million miles wide producing a shock-wave that will hurtle us right across the sky sounds like a pretty friggin fantastic idea to me. What do you say Rose? Are you up for something like that?"

"Sounds wonderful to me." She agreed with a bright smile.

"Right then—off we go." The Doctor declared and rushed about to fiddle with the controls.

The three of them laughed and cheered as the TARDIS shook them about. Off to start a new adventure.

*****Hope you enjoyed the second half! Let me know what you think!**

*****Pictures posted on profile!**


	7. Stamp Collections Are Safer

***Hey guys! Sorry for such a long wait on this update. My beta finally sent my edited chapters so chapters 5 & 6 have been reposted too (all fixed up & what-not!) Any-who…here's chapter 7….I hope you like it!**

****Also, thank you(s) to: **Mikki18, Lexy Summers, PaleMoonlitAngel061, ABeliever13, immajedibabe, Lizzy, sora0995, Shadowfish, Emandylyn S, Tipper dehavilland, fanfreak4ever, Cetacea-of-Time, and all anonymous guests** for your wonderful reviews! Seriously…you guys are spoiling me with all of your uplifting comments!**

**Impossible or Just Highly Unlikely**

_Stamp Collections Are Safer_

*******TARDIS Kitchen/One Week Later*******

"And what does he do? He drops it!" Amanda laughs. "The whole thing smashed to the floor, completely destroyed and I tell you…the high-priest was absolutely pissed. I don't think I've ever run so fast in my life."

"Oh that's just priceless." Rose laughed.

The girls were having a good chat while hanging out in the kitchen. They had decided to try out a type of tea they had recently purchased from a cute little tea-shop on a planet where the residents had pastel colored skin and you could tell time by the phases of the second moon that was always visible and shifted every hour.

The tea itself was delicious. It reminded them of cherry blossoms, vanilla, and joy. Both were skeptical when the shop owner said you could add the flavors of emotions to the tea so of course they had to purchase some to try and sure enough, they both agreed that if joy was a flavor, this was exactly what it would taste like. It was awesome yet weird at the same time.

"So what exactly is that supposed to be, on your shirt?" Rose asked out of the blue.

Amanda looked down at her black T-shirt with a humorous smirk.

"Well, this here—" She pointed to the top half. "—is a diagram of a glucose molecule, and this—" She then gestured to the lower half. "—is a diagram of the human heart. Get it?" She chuckled.

Rose just stared at her with a vacant expression.

"It's 'Sweetheart'….it's supposed to mean…..well, 'cause, glucose is sweet and…and….." Amanda tried to explain whilst in shock that Rose didn't get it straight away.

"You are such a nerd." Rose laughed.

Suddenly out of nowhere, they felt the whole room tremor and Amanda scrunched up her face in concern.

"Well that's not right." She commented. "We're just cruising in the vortex, even if we hit a time-bump, we shouldn't have been able to feel it this deep inside the TARDIS."

"Do you think there's something wrong?" Rose asked, slightly worried.

"I don't know. Hang on a sec."

Amanda got up and walked over to the intercom.

"Everything alright, Doctor? The kitchen just shook." She asked in mild concern.

They waited a moment for his response.

"**You two should head to the console room. I think we might just have a new adventure."** Came his hesitant answer.

"Kay." Amanda replied curiously, and then turned back to Rose. "Guess that answers that."

*******Five Minutes Later*******

The TARDIS rematerialized in a large corridor with the usual wheezing noise. A few seconds after it stabilized, the Doctor popped his head out the door to look around before he stepped out completely, followed by Rose, and then Amanda who locked the door behind her.

"So, what is it—what's wrong?" Rose asked in concern.

"Don't know—some sort of signal drawing the TARDIS off-course." He answered distractedly.

As they glanced around they noticed that the lights were very dim and they were surrounded by glass cases. It was a little creepy actually.

"Where are we?" Rose asked next, hoping he'd be a bit more knowledgeable on that front.

"Earth, Utah, North America, about half a mile underground." He rattled off.

"Ooohh, neat! Rose, welcome to my country." Amanda introduced cheerfully. "I'm from Virginia though—but hey….same continent at least."

"And when are we?" Rose added.

The Doctor answered her while looking at what appeared to be some sort of petrified, armored snake creature with razor sharp teeth on display.

"Two-thousand and twelve."

"Hey! How about that…two for two, Rose. We're in my _time_ too." Amanda pointed out.

"God, that's so close….I should be twenty-six." Rose mused.

Amanda wrapped her arm playfully around Rose's shoulder and taunted her.

"Guess you're older than me now….happy?"

Rose pushed her away, the two of them chuckling.

"Oh, shove off."

Just then, the Doctor had managed to find a light-switch and flipped them on. The whole corridor lit up to reveal case after case of random displays that completely lined both walls, making the place look like some sort of gallery. But instead of artifacts from Earth, everything was extraterrestrial. The trio looked around in both awe and confusion.

"Blymie." Rose gasped. "It's like a great big museum."

"An alien museum." The Doctor confirmed.

Their attention was suddenly drawn to Amanda then, as she stumbled down to one knee.

"Oh, God!" She groaned.

"What? What is it?" The Doctor asked in concern, kneeling next to her.

He pulled out his sonic to do a scan, but according to the readings, there was nothing wrong. She took in a few soothing breaths as Rose helped her stand back up.

"I'm fine, I'm fine." She assured them. "That was weird though...one moment I feel normal, just glancing about and the next—I was hit with this wave of nausea and panic out of nowhere. It was like that weird déjà vu feeling again, but now it's gone….just like that." She explained with a snap of her fingers.

Noticing the looks they were giving her, she tried to brush it off as if it were nothing and focused her attention back to the area around them.

"Looks like someone's got themselves a bit of an obsessive hobby…" She prompted.

The Doctor took the hint and let it go, deciding just to keep a closer eye on her.

"They must have spent a fortune on this." He commented, actually taking an interest in their surroundings as he walked over to the look at the different displays. "Chunks of meteorite, moon dust..….that's the milometer from the Roswell spaceship."

Rose then spotted something even she recognized.

"That's a bit of Slitheen!" She chirped in shock. "That's a Slitheen's arm—it's been stuffed."

"Well, a Raxacoricofallapatorian, yes, but you can't be sure it's from that particular family. Slitheen was their name not their race, remember." Amanda corrected her.

"Ooh…look at you." The Doctor spoke in awe as he approached a case that contained what looked like a robotic head.

"What is it?" Rose asked.

"An old friend of mine." He mused with a soft smile, but then corrected himself. "Well, enemy…." He then sighed. "The stuff of nightmares, reduced to an exhibit….I'm getting old."

"Is that what the signal's coming from?" Rose asked.

"Naw, it's stone dead." He answered. "The signal is alive. Something's reaching out—calling for help."

Amanda leaned forward to take a closer look at it.

"The shape of its eyes makes it look like it's crying." She pointed out. "How sad….yet oddly fitting under the circumstances."

The Doctor reached out to touch the glass which unfortunately set of a blaring alarm that led to them suddenly being surrounded by a team of guards in black, military-like uniforms, armed with big guns that were now pointed in their direction.

"If someone's collecting aliens, that makes you 'exhibit A'." Rose murmured to the Doctor nervously.

"You know….if you don't want people to touch, you should really think about posting up signs or something….maybe invest in some of those nifty velvet ropes." Amanda suggested with a snarky attitude.

She really hated guns.

The guards wasted no time in escorting them through the facility, moving up several floors, and down a corridor that eventually led them to someone's office. They arrived just as some boy was showing off a device to a guy they assumed was his boss and probably the leader of this band of merry men.

"And this is the last..…paid $800,000.00 for it."

"What's it do?" The man asked, while gripping it like you would a gun.

"Well, you see the tubes on the side must be used to channel something…I think maybe fuel…" The kid tried to explain.

Amanda's face lit up when she got a good look at it.

"Doctor, is that—" She started to ask.

"Yep." He replied cheerfully.

"Just like the one we saw when we went to—"

"Yep." He confirmed.

She smirked at the men teasingly, catching their attention.

"But, then that means that the way they're—"

"She's right." The Doctor interrupted her again, speaking to the man behind the desk. "I wouldn't hold it like that." He suggested.

"Shut it!" A woman standing next to them ordered sternly.

"Watch it!" Amanda snapped back, subconsciously stepping between the two.

The Doctor place a hand on her shoulder as a silent warning to calm down and turned back to the two men.

"Really though—that's wrong." He added.

"Well, is it dangerous?" The kid asked.

"No." Amanda chuckled. "It just looks ridiculous."

The Doctor leaned forward slightly with his hand out-stretched. The sudden action caused the guards to cock their guns and take aim in warning. Both Amanda and Rose went stiff in anticipation.

The man in charge held up his hand, indicating for the guards to stand down and with a curious smirk, he stood up and handed the device over to the Doctor who then clicked it on and handed it to Amanda. As she placed it in her left palm, griping it _properly_, she placed the fingers of her right hand over the top trying to decide where she wanted to start.

"You just need to be—" The Doctor started to explain.

Amanda lightly dragged her fingers across its surface as if caressing it, causing it to emit a light, high-pitched melody. The sound was similar to that of a harmonica, but not as grainy.

"—Delicate." She finished with a soft smile in satisfaction.

The boss man laughed in amusement.

"It's a musical instrument." He noted.

"And it's a long way from home." The Doctor mused in adoration.

"Here, let me." The man demanded, snatching it from Amanda's hands.

She gasped in shocked protest at the rough way he was handling it. The Doctor frowned as well at the rude way he just grabbed it away from her. When the man went to try it out for himself, the sound wasn't as pleasant.

"We did say delicate." Amanda winced.

He tried it again and it was a little better, but still not quite right.

"Reacts to the smallest fingerprint." The Doctor prompted. "Needs precision."

Third time was the charm. He managed to get it to play a soft sort of tune and smiled triumphantly with a small chuckle to himself.

"Very good." The Doctor encouraged. "Quite the expert."

"As are you..." He smirked, suddenly flinging the device carelessly of to the side.

Amanda yelped in disbelief at his ill-treatment of the instrument. She would have gladly taken it if he cared so little for it. '_What a jerk._'

"Yep, definitely American." She grumbled bitterly.

"Who exactly are you?" The man demanded flippantly.

The Doctor didn't look too impressed with his actions either. He contemplated reprimanding him, but considering the guns, he decided against it. He'd just have to try and rescue it for Amanda before they left later. He gripped her hand reassuringly.

"I'm The Doctor." He answered with a frown. "And who are you?"

"Like you don't know." The man scoffed. "We're hidden away with the most valuable collection of extraterrestrial artifacts in the world, and you just stumbled in by mistake." He mocked sarcastically.

"That pretty much sums us up—yeah." The Doctor answered cheerfully.

"Yeah, that does seem to happen to us a lot, surprisingly." Amanda agreed, chuckling to herself.

"Question is—how did you get in?" The man mused as he came out from behind his desk and approached them. "Fifty-three floors down, with your little cat burglar accomplices. Quite a collector yourself—they're rather pretty." He complimented, smiling flirtatiously at the girls.

Amanda cringed in disgust and the Doctor gripped her hand tighter, pulling her slightly behind him.

"I'm seriously going to smack you if you keep being so disrespectful." Rose snapped out, bringing herself into the conversation.

"Oh, and this one's English, too." He smirked. "Hey, Little Lord Fauntleroy, got you a girlfriend." He called out teasingly to the kid from earlier.

He then turned back to Amanda.

"I'd ask you to dinner myself, but your companion there seems to be rather attached." He taunted.

Amanda growled in annoyance.

"Feisty too." He smirked. "Love the T-shirt by the way."

"Damn it." Amanda groaned, pulling on the hem of her shirt. "I really liked this one."

The kid tried to defuse the tension by finally introducing his boss…..at least he tried to.

"This is Mr.—"

"Henry Van Statten." Amanda finished for him with a grimace.

"And who is he when he's at home?" Rose asked sarcastically trying to help breeze past what her friend just did by bringing their attention onto herself, for which she and the Doctor were very grateful.

"Mr. Statten owns the internet." The boy answered.

"Don't be stupid. No one _owns_ the internet." Rose scoffed.

"And let's just keep the whole world thinking that way. Right kids?" Mr. Statten teased, while grinning smugly.

"So you're just about an expert in everything, except the things in your museum." Amanda taunted back with her own smug grin.

"Anything you don't understand, you lock up." The Doctor accused.

"And you claim greater knowledge?" Mr. Statten countered.

"I don't need to make claims—I _know_ how good I am." The Doctor replied flippantly making Amanda grin.

"You're firkin amazing, that's what you are." She complimented him.

He returned her smile with a cheeky grin of his own.

"And yet I captured you—" Statten shot back. "—right next to the cage. What were you doing down there?"

"_You_ tell _me_." The Doctor challenged.

"The cage contains my one _living_ specimen." He answered, issuing a challenge of his own.

"And what's that?" The Doctor countered.

"Like you don't know." Staten accused.

Amanda and Rose bounced their attention back and forth between the two males like a tennis match. It seemed that neither of them wanted to be the one to give a straight-forward answer, as if it was like some sort of power contest. Both girls as well as the stern woman from before, rolled their eyes.

"Show me." The Doctor demanded.

"You want to see it?" Staten smirked mischievously.

Rose decided to cut them off then, before they could drag it on any farther.

"Blymie—you can smell the testosterone." She mocked sarcastically.

"Goddard." Statten commanded the attention of the stern woman whom they now understood to be his personal assistant. "Inform the cage—we're heading down."

She nodded and immediately went to do what she was told. Statten then turned back to Rose, Amanda, and the boy.

"You, English—look after the girls. Go and spoon or canoodle or whatever it is that you British do...just watch out for the feisty one." He directed flippantly. And you—Doctor with no name—come and see my pet."

Before they could leave, Amanda called out to the pompous man.

"Hey, Statten…" She spoke calmly. "The Doctor _will_ be returned to me unharmed…..and I mean it." She warned. "I find he has so much as a bruise to his ego—I'll show you the meaning of the phrase 'Hell hath no fury'. Is that understood?" She asked with a raise of her eyebrow.

The others looked at her in a sort of shock, that she would have the audacity to speak to their boss that way, but Van Statten just thought it was amusing and stared at her with a flirtatious smirk. He then looked back to the Doctor.

"Seems you've found yourself a keeper." He congratulated him, not really taking her threat seriously.

The Doctor frowned at him, and sent the girls a reassuring smile. He even flashed Amanda a wink at the last moment before he turned to follow Statten out of the room.

The girls then followed the 'English' kid who introduced himself as Adam, in a different direction as he led them to his work room. The place was rather cluttered with random bits of 'this' and 'that' strewn about in a sort of semi-organized, chaos and even though Amanda was still feeling uneasy about Van Statten, she couldn't help but get a little excited at the sight of it. That was one of the things she and the Doctor had in common. She loved to play around and tinker with things. She was by no means an expert with electronics and science, but she _was_ both clever and a quick study. So even if she couldn't always put something back together…she would at least be satisfied with taking it apart and even sometimes figuring out the gist of how it worked.

"Sorry about the mess." Adam joked timidly. "Mr. Van Statten sort of lets me do my own thing. So long as I deliver the goods."

"Are you kidding? This is awesome!" Amanda squeaked excitedly.

As she looked around, she actually spotted something familiar as well as a tool box nearby. Without even bothering to ask for permission, she snagged a screw driver and went to town, dismantling it. Adam blinked in surprise and was considering trying to stop her, but decided against it when he saw how into it she was. He knew what that was like.

Instead he turned back to her friend, the blond, who was just looking around only somewhat interested. She had just taken off her jacket, exposing her white tank top and jeans that showed off her figure in a very flattering way. Mister Staten was right, they were both rather pretty, and the blond one was from the same country as him….. '_Why not show off a bit?_'

"What do you think that is?" He asked her, holding up a chunk of space debris.

Rose stepped closer to get a better look, but she had no clue as to what it was.

"A hunk of metal?" She joked.

Amanda glanced over her shoulder at Rose when she heard the tone she was using. '_Way to flirt it up, there, Rose._' She thought with a smirk. She then rolled her eyes with a shake of her head and snickered to herself as she turned back to her project. (still listening in of course).

"Yeah, but I think….well, I'm almost certain…it's from the hull of a spacecraft." He professed, and then leaned forward as if what he was about to say was a big secret. "The thing is—it's all true. Everything the United Nations tries to keep quiet; spacecrafts, aliens, visitors to Earth. They really exist."

Rose heard Amanda chuckle to herself and glanced over at her just in time to catch the teasing wink she sent her way, making Rose smirk as well. She reached up to scratch the back of her neck, acting as if she didn't already know this, while trying not to laugh.

"That's amazing." She told him.

He didn't even notice the mischievous look on her face.

"I know it sounds incredible…but I honestly believe that the whole universe is just teaming with life."

"I'm gob-smacked—yeah." She added with a smirk.

"Way to think forward kid." Amanda called out to him cheerfully. "Now if you're a good boy and you keep acting sweet to my lovely Rose, I'll try and talk the Doctor into helping identify some of these things for you." She added in a mock mothering tone.

He raised an eyebrow at her, not quite sure if she was mocking him or being serious.

"Don't worry…she's just like that sometimes. It was meant to be a compliment…" She assured him, and then muttered to herself. "…I think."

Amanda flashed them both a cheesy grin and continued with her tinkering.

"And you do what?—" Rose asked out of curiosity. "—Sit here and catalog it?"

"Best job in the world." He bragged.

"Imagine if you could get out there. Travel amongst the stars and see it for real." Rose prompted.

'_No, no, no, No, NO!_' Amanda screamed in her head. She knew what Rose was hinting at, but they didn't need an extra traveling companion. They were fine, just the way they were.

"Too bad that's not possible yet." Amanda cut in with a hint of warning that only Rose caught.

"Yeah, she's Right." He told Rose. "I'd give anything, but that's never going to happen—not in our life time anyways…so…"

"Well, you never know." Rose tossed out flippantly, ignoring the look Amanda was giving her. "What about all those people who've said they've been inside of spaceships and things, and talk to aliens?"

"I think they're nutters." He answered flatly.

Rose chuckled at the silliness of their conversation.

"Yeah, me too." She pretended to agree.

"Actually—" Amanda piped in. "—that _does_ happen—except for that whole 'anal-probing' thing….okay, well, that _did_ actually happen a few times, but it was all just a big misunderstanding and no one does it anymore…..well….except for this one alien, but he's a sadist and the authorities _are _trying to catch him. They've just….um…." She trailed of when she finally noticed the strange looks they were giving her. "…right—just ignore me—go back to flirting and whatnot." She ended with a cheese smile.

"Sooo, how'd you end up here?" Rose asked, trying to pick up where they left off.

"Van Statten has agents all over the world looking for geniuses to recruit." He explained with just the slightest hint of smugness.

Amanda rolled her eyes.

"Oh, right, you're a genius." Rose played along.

"Sorry, but yeah." He confirmed, trying to be smooth. "I can't help it. I was born clever." He leaned forward conspiratorially again. "When I was eight, I logged on to the US defense system—nearly caused World War III." He admitted proudly.

'_Really?_' Amanda thought sarcastically. She was definitely starting to have second thoughts about this guy. '_Who the hell tries to impress a girl by admitting to nearly causing death and devastation to an entire planet?_'

"What, and that's funny, is it?" Rose asked sounding skeptical.

'_That's my girl!_' Amanda cheered mentally.

"You should have been there, just to see them running about—fantastic!" He bragged with a big grin on his face as if it was no big deal.

"Aaand…welcome to my 'shit list'." Amanda muttered to herself.

"You sound like the Doctor." Rose commented to him with an amused smile.

The two of them jumped slightly at the sound of metal clattering to the floor as Amanda whipped her head around looking appalled.

"Like hell he does!" Amanda snapped. "You take that back."

Adam completely ignored Amanda's outburst though and tentatively asked Rose—

"Are you and he…..?"

"No." Rose answered with a knowing smile. "We're just friends."

"Good." He answered a bit too quickly to be nonchalant.

"Why is that good?" Rose teased him.

"Just is." He responded with a soft, 'innocent' smile.

"Besides…he and Amanda—"

"Shutup!" Amanda squeaked. "You don't know what you're talking about. He and I…he…we….." She trailed off; letting out a melancholy sigh as she returned to the device she'd been playing with.

Rose felt bad for even commenting on it, but at least she now had a sort clue as to what Amanda's feeling were.

"Sooo, wouldn't you rather be down stairs?" Rose prompted, trying to change the subject. "I mean, you've got these bits of metal and stuff, but Mr. Van Statten's got a living creature down there."

"Yeah, well, I did ask, but he keeps it to himself." He answered disappointedly. "Although—" He added with an impish smirk. "—if you're a genius…it doesn't take long to patch you into the com-system."

"Now that's what I'm talking about!" Amanda cheered. "What are you waiting for?"

She quickly joined them at the computer with an excited grin.

"It doesn't do much—the alien." He warned them as he typed away at his keyboard. "It's weird…it's kind of…useless…..it's like this great, big…pepper-pot."

A small window popped up onto the screen showing a live video feed. The creature looked just as he described. Like a pepper shaker with a whisk, a plunger, and a flashlight attached to it. It also had two little lights on the top of what they would assume was its head. As soon as Amanda saw it, that feeling of nausea and panic returned from earlier. She doubled over with a gasp and Rose immediately jumped to her side in concern.

"What's wrong?" She asked in panic.

"I'm fine…" Amanda assured her, and then grimaced. "…but something's not right and I have a strong '_feeling_' (she and rose shared a look of understanding) that it has to do with that creature."

They all looked back to the screen, just as a man in a bright orange has-mat suit approached it with some kind of tool. He pressed it to the creature's metal shell, revealing the tool to be some sort of power-drill and the creature started to emit a staticky screech of pain.

"It's being tortured! Where's the Doctor?" Rose asked franticly.

"I don't know." Adam stuttered.

"Take us down there, now." Rose demanded as she made her way towards the door.

Two flights of stairs and an elevator ride later, they reached the heavily guarded entrance to the 'cage'. One of the guards stood up as they approached and tried to stop them.

"Hold it right there—"

But Adam cut him off and flashed his security badge.

"Level three access—special clearance from Mr. Van Statten." He claimed as if he had some sort of legitimate authority.

The three of them stepped inside the little room (Amanda more hesitantly than the other two) and the man in orange shut the door behind them.

"Don't get too close." The Adam warned them.

Rose ignored him and moved closer to get a better look anyways and Amanda followed close behind her, ready to pull her back to safety if necessary. She didn't like the way the metal creature was making her feel. Something just wasn't right.

"Hello." Rose greeted it hesitantly, not quite sure which part to speak to.

They waited a moment for it to respond, but it didn't so Rose tried again.

"Are you in pain?"

But still nothing. Rose refused to give up though. She figured that perhaps the creature was just scared.

"My name is Rose Tyler and this is Amanda Winters, we've got a friend—he can help—he's called The Doctor. What's your name?"

"_**Yes."**_ It finally responded in a deep, crackling, metallic voice that corresponded with the lights that flashed on its 'head'.

It lifted its flashlight thing up slightly, making it level with their faces, so the girls assumed that it was most likely a device that allowed it to see.

When it spoke, a sharp shiver ran up Amanda's spine and she let out a small inaudible gasp that went unnoticed by the others.

"What?" Rose asked in confusion.

"_**I am in pain."**_ It clarified, sounding sad and rather pathetic, and with just the slightest delay between each word. _**"They torture me—but still they fear me…..Do you fear me?"**_

"No." Amanda jumped in, answering for them in a firm voice.

Truthfully, she was terrified. She couldn't for the life of her understand why, but she wasn't going to let '_It_' know that. She knew better by now to ignore a 'feeling' like this, but she had to play it cool just in case.

"_**I am dying."**_ It informed them sadly, lowering its 'eye stalk'.

"No, we can help." Rose assured it worriedly.

"_**I welcome death…..but, I am glad that before I die—I've met humans that were not afraid."**_

"Isn't there anything we can do?" Rose asked pityingly.

"_**My race is dead—I shall die alone."**_

Rose stretched out her hand towards it as if to offer comfort.

"Rose, DON'T!" Amanda shouted.

She reached out and pulled Rose's hand back. Out of reflex, Rose yanked her hand away from her grasp and the sudden momentum caused Amanda to lose her balance enough to where she had to throw her hands out in order to brace herself. Unfortunately, her hands ended up falling against the creature. She quickly ripped them away with a yelp in both shock and pain. It felt like the creature's shell had burned her skin.

As soon as she backed away, clutching her hands to her chest, they could all see two glowing imprints where her palms had touched it. Rose grasped onto both of Amanda's wrists to check over her hands, when she winced, thinking that they would be badly blistered, but for some strange reason they looked perfectly fine.

They both looked up at each other in panic and then looked over at the creature that was now starting to shake and rattle its chains. They slowly started to back away from it until they were once again standing with Adam.

"_**Genetic material extrapolated—initiate cellular reconstruction!" **_

When the three of them had backed themselves up, all the way to the door that was starting to open, the chains snapped apart and the machinery started to spark.

"What the hell have you done?" The man in orange shouted at them when he came bustling into the room with some sort of gun-like tool.

He walked up to the creature as it turned towards him, raising up its plunger-like attachment, in a threatening gesture.

"Stop!" Amanda warned him. "You need to get away from it. It's not safe!"

The man only scoffed at her.

"What are you going to do—" He taunted it. "—sucker me to death?"

And that's exactly what it did. The girls gasped in horror as the man let out a pained yell. The plunger appendage completely engulfed the man's face and sucked inwards until they could all hear the crunching of his skull as it started to collapse from the pressure. They all quickly ran from the room with Rose taking the lead as she deliriously shouted at the other guards.

"It's killing him! Do something!" She ordered.

"Condition Red, Condition Red—" One of the guards shouted into a com-system that echoed throughout the facility. "—I repeat, Condition Red, this is not a drill!"

The guards all started to assemble in small formations while others continued to rush about. None of them seemed to really know what they were doing and it was starting to piss Amanda off. She was already angry with herself and she didn't need their stupidity added on top of it all. Not if they wanted to get out of there alive.

"Get that vault door closed!" Amanda ordered them.

When no one did as she told them right away she shouted at them again.

"NOW!"

That time seemed to get their attention and the door was immediately sealed and locked. Then, as if just too grate on her nerves, even farther, the sound of Van Statten's voice was heard from a monitor just off to their right.

"See, I knew she was feisty." He taunted.

The doctor's voice soon followed, completely ignoring Statten's comment and her heart plummeted. She felt as if she'd failed him.

"You've got to keep it in that cell." He commanded.

Rose ran up to the monitor. She was relieved to see him.

"Doctor—" She started, but was cut off by Amanda.

"It's all my fault. I'm so sorry." She admitted like a kicked puppy.

"No it's not!" Rose argued. "It only happened because you were trying to stop me from doing something stupid."

"But—" Amanda tried to counter, only to be cut off herself, by a guard.

"We've sealed the compartment." He informed his boss. "It can't get out—that lock has a billion combinations."

"The Dalek is a genius." The Doctor warned them, shattering what little hope they had. "It can calculate a thousand-billion combinations in one second flat."

Everyone down in the Cage's security room turned around to see that the Dalek had already started working on the lock in question and barely a few seconds later, it broke through. As the door opened the lead guard shouted out commands to his team.

"OPEN FIRE!"

The girl's flinched as the room was filled with the deafening sound of gunfire, and gasped in shock as none of the bullets seemed to cause the thing any damage.

"Don't shoot it! I want it unharmed!" Van Statten shouted at them.

"Amanda, run! Just take Rose and get yourselves out of there!" The Doctor called out to them.

Amanda grasped onto Rose's hand and prepared to book it.

"De Maggio, you take the civilians and get them out alive! That is your job, you got that?" The leader ordered the female guard standing next to them.

"You." De Maggio, addressed them. "With me."

The three of them followed the guard out, starting their long trek towards the Doctor and Van Staten.

"_**All guards are to converge on the Metaltron Cage immediately." **_Statten's personal assistant commanded over the P.A. system.

"Are they insane?" Amanda shouted disbelievingly as they ran.

When they got towards the end of a hallway, a team of guards was already forming.

"Civilians! Let them through!" De Maggio called out to them.

They quickly move to the side, allowing her charges to get through without delay. They continued to run down different corridors until Amanda stopped them.

"Listen." She commanded them.

"I don't hear anything." Rose commented.

The others shook their heads in confused agreement not understanding what she was getting at.

"The gun-fire, the screams….they've stopped—all of it." She pointed out. "It killed them….all of them."

A sickening feeling washed over all of them at the realization.

"Keep moving." De Maggio ordered them shakily.

After they rounded a few more corridors, they found a stairwell.

"Stairs! That's more like it." Rose cheered happily.

They ran half way up the first flight and stopped.

"Oh, please….Rose, you heard the Doctor—that thing's a genius and you saw how the bullets had no effect. We have to keep running." Amanda pointed out in a rush.

"But it hasn't got legs—it's stuck." Rose argued.

When the Dalek came into view, their guard somehow got it in her head that she should try and reason with it. Amanda rolled her eyes impatiently. They didn't have time for this…they needed the Doctor.

"Listen to me." The guard demanded calmly. "I demand that you return to your cage. If you want to negotiate then I can guarantee that Mr. Van Statten will be willing to talk. I accept that we imprisoned you and maybe that was wrong, but people have died and that stops, right now. The killing stops, have you got that?"

It didn't respond.

"I demand that you surrender, is that clear?" She repeated in a firmer voice.

The creature just stared at them, unmoving.

"Great big alien machine—defeated by a flight of stairs." Adam taunted.

Amanda thwacked him up-side the head in annoyance.

"Smart, complicated, futuristic alien technology that you know nothing about..." She explained when he gave her a nasty look. "Don't be an idiot!"

No sooner had she reprimanded him did the Dalek prove her right.

"_**Elevate."**_ It called out as it started to levitate up the stairs.

"Oh my God." Rose gasped.

"Yeah, no shit." Amanda snapped.

"Adam, get them out of here." The guard ordered.

"Come with us—you can't stop it." Rose begged her.

"Someone's got to try, now get out." She ordered them as she pushed them away. "Don't look back—just run."

Amanda growled in frustration and moved behind the woman to shove her along as well.

"To hell with that!" she shouted. "Now move your ass, lady!"

Reluctantly, the woman gave up and continued to run up the stairs with the others. Amanda gave a mental fist-pump in victory. After a few more flights of stairs, they came to a corridor that led to a larger room for weapon storage.

"HOLD YOUR FIRE!" De Maggio shouted ahead of them. "We've got civilians coming through!"

When they rounded the corner into the room, they came face to face with a swarm of armed guards ready to defend the compound. Both Rose and Amanda paused for a moment in shock at the sight of them.

"You three, "The leader barked, indicating Rose, Amanda, and Adam, "get the hell out of there! De Maggio, take up a post and get ready to fire!"

"Yes sir!" De Maggio responded.

"What? No!" Amanda protested.

"Adam, get them out of here!" De Maggio ordered, and then turned to Amanda. "And no arguing this time! I thank you for your concern, but I need to be here, now go!"

Amanda let out a growl of anxiety as she did what was asked of her and rushed after her other companions. There was nothing more she could do and she had to look after Rose. Once the three of them had reached the other side, they turned around and waited a moment to see what would happen.

The Dalek glided into the room and scanned its surroundings with its eye stalk, until it landed on the trio. Amanda could have sworn that the little blue light on the end seemed to zoom in on her causing that tingling sensation to run up her spine. They quickly started to run away again when the Dalek turned towards them.

"Amanda, it was looking at you." Rose rushed out in worry, confirming her previous thoughts.

They paused again for a second.

"Yeah, it wants to slaughter us!" Adam pointed out unnecessarily with a hint of snarkyness in his tone as he tried to urge them forward.

"But it was looking right at her." Rose insisted.

"So- it's—" Adam stuttered apprehensively. "—it's that metal eye thing. It's looking all over the place."

"You don't seem to understand, Adam." Amanda countered. "It's like there's something inside of that metal shell and it was _looking _at me_…_… like it _knows _me…"

She and Rose exchanged an uneasy look and they began to run even faster. Amanda was practically chanting 'Doctor' in her head as they made their way to Van Staten's office as quickly as they could.

*******Meanwhile With The Doctor*******

The Doctor, Van Statten, and Mrs. Goddard, had just watched the Dalek kill an entire room of guards via electrocution. The room that just a few seconds earlier had been filled with the sound of gun fire and screams was now dead silent, except for the noise of the water that continued to rain down from the ceiling.

"Perhaps it's time for a new strategy." Van Statten suggested, finally feeling fearful as to what the Dalek was capable of. "Maybe we should consider abandoning this place."

"Except there's no power to the helipad sir. We can't get out." Goddard informed him in a strained voice as if she were speaking to a moron.

"You said we could seal the vault." The Doctor prompted.

He looked as calm as he could manage under the circumstances on the outside, but inside he was seething and anxious.

"It was designed to be a bunker in the event of a nuclear war." Van Statten clarified as he sat down at his computer ready to type. "Steel bulk-heads—"

"—There's not enough power." Goddard argued. "Those bulk-heads are massive—"

"—There's emergency power." The Doctor pointed out. "You could reroute that to the bulk-head doors."

"But, we would have to bypass the security codes!" She snapped in frustration. "That would take a computer genius."

"Then it's a good thing you've got me." Van Statten countered.

"You want to help?" The Doctor asked him in disbelief.

"I don't want to die, Doctor, simple as that." Statten clarified. "Nobody knows this software better than me." He added smugly.

Just then, Goddard noticed that one of the monitors turned on by itself, showing an image of the Dalek. She pointed it out to the others and they all watched in apprehension.

"_**I shall speak only to the Doctor."**_ It commanded.

"You're going to get rusty." The Doctor pointed out unenthusiastically.

"_**I fed off the DNA of Amanda Winters. Extrapolating the bio-mass of a time traveler regenerated me." **_It explained.

"What's your next trick?" The Doctor taunted.

"_**I have been searching for the Daleks."**_

The Doctor smirked smugly at this.

"Yeah, I saw—downloading the internet. What did you find?" He responded offhandedly.

"_**I scanned your satellites and radio telescopes…"**_

"And…" The Doctor prompted.

"_**Nothing."**_ It clarified, and then asked desperately, _**"Where shall I get my orders from now?"**_

"You're just a soldier without commands." He mocked it.

"_**Then I shall follow the primary order of Dalek instinct—to destroy—to conquer."**_ It decided.

"What for?" The Doctor demanded angrily. "What's the point?"

The Dalek didn't respond so the Doctor continued.

"Don't you see? It's all gone—everything you were—everything you stood for."

"_**Then what should I do?"**_

"All right then…if you want orders…" The Doctor started arrogantly. "Follow this one—Kill yourself." He suggested spitefully.

"_**The Daleks must survive!"**_ It countered.

"The Daleks have failed! Why don't you just finish the job and make the Daleks extinct—Rid The Universe Of Your Filth— WHY DON'T YOU JUST DIE!" He demanded wrathfully.

There was a moment's pause as everything sank in before the Dalek calmly pointed out something that made the Doctor's hearts go cold.

"_**You would make a good Dalek."**_

And with that said, the monitor went black. The Doctor actually felt queasy and somewhat fearful at what was just implied, but he didn't want to admit it.

"Seal the vaults." He commanded Van Statten flatly.

*******Back With The Girls*******

They had been running for quite a ways until they came to another stairwell and paused to catch their breath. Just as they started to continue up the stairs, Rose's cell phone rang. She made a clumsy grab for it and answered whoever it was in an exasperated tone.

"This isn't the best time." She huffed.

"_**Where are you?" **_The Doctor asked her.

"Level forty-nine."

"_**You need to keep moving—the vault's being sealed off up on level forty-six." **_He warned her.

"Can't you stop'm closing?" She asked franticly.

"_**I'm the one that's closing them."**_ He countered.

Amanda couldn't stand being out of the loop so she smacked Rose on the thigh and gestured for her to pass back the phone.

"Doctor," Amanda addressed him apprehensively. "Speak to me—tell me what's going on."

She could hear him sigh in relief at the sound of her voice and she tried not to let it distract her.

"_**I have to seal the bulk-head doors on level forty-six. You and Rose need to get there before they close. I'm so sorry, but I can't wait and I can't help you. We can't risk the Dalek getting out. Now for God's sake, Run."**_

Three of them ran for their lives up the last two flights of stairs and made it out into the main hallway.

"We're nearly there Doctor, give us two seconds." She huffed desperately into the phone.

There was a few seconds of silence before the Doctor breathed out despondently—

"_**I'm sorry."**_

A siren went off indicating that the doors were closing and they could see them just up ahead.

"Hurry, Rose! We can make it!" Amanda encouraged.

Adam, who was faster than both of them, easily ran through the archway with plenty of time. Amanda saw that she would make it just in time as well, but when she chanced a glance over her shoulder, she saw that Rose was falling behind by at least two-three feet. She wouldn't make it and Amanda couldn't allow that. Rose was going to be so upset with what she was about to do, but it had to be done.

Amanda slowed down just enough to be equal with Rose and grabbed hold of her, pushing them faster. Then, without warning or much grace, Amanda flung Rose forward, sending her tumbling through the archway just before it clamped shut, causing herself to slam hard against the bulk-head door. The momentum knocked her backward onto her bum and she knew she'd definitely end up with a bruise. It took her a moment to let the situation sink in until she finally registered that she was hearing a crackling noise coming from the phone she still grasped tightly in her hand and brought it up to her ear. Her heart clenched when she heard the Doctor's frantic voice.

"_**Amanda, where are you? Amanda! Did you make it?"**_ He called out to her.

She let out a shaky breath, trying not to cry as she finally responded in a strained voice.

"Tell— Tell, Rose—Tell her I'm sorry, Doctor," She let out a deep breath to collect herself and continued, "But it had to be done. I promised her mom we would try."

"_**What do you mean?"**_ He asked cautiously.

At this point, Adam walked into the office with a blank face, followed by a dejected and tearful Rose. The Doctor's face went pale in realization when Amanda spoke up again, sounding as calm as she could force herself to be. At some point, the phone had been switched to speaker without him noticing and the others were able to listen in as well.

"Rose had to get through, Doctor—she had to make it for her mom…So…I made sure that happened. I'm sorry, Doctor, but I wasn't…." She trailed off when she saw the Dalek slowly coming up behind her, making her gasp involuntarily. "…Oh, God….it's here….Doctor, it wasn't your fault and don't let Rose think it was hers either. It wasn't. I want you both to remember that, okay. And Doctor, before I—I need you to know…..I L—"

"_**EXTERMINATE!"**_

The Doctor ripped the earpiece away. They could all hear the faint sound of a laser followed by the crunch of the cell phone as it fell to the floor and went silent.

"It killed her." The Doctor uttered disbelievingly.

"I'm sorry." Van Statten apologized quickly.

"I said I'd protect her. She's only here because of me," The Doctor spoke softly to himself and then snapped at Staten, "And you're SORRY? I could have killed that Dalek in its cell, but you stopped me!"

"It was the prize of my collection!" Van Statten contended.

"YOUR COLLECTION?" The Doctor yelled furiously. "Well, was it worth it? Worth all those men's deaths—worth Amanda? Let me tell you something Van Statten, mankind goes into space to explore—to be part of something greater."

"Exactly! I wanted to touch the stars!" Staten claimed fervently, jumping to his feet.

"You just want to drag the stars down and stick them underground, underneath tons of sand and dirt and label them! You're about as far from the stars as you can get!" He snapped accusingly, before his voice went soft again. "And you took her down with you. She was twenty-three years old. No past to speak of, just zapped down to Earth literally right in front of me out of nowhere. From the moment I met her I knew she'd be brilliant…..and she was. We were going to…" He trailed off unable to continue.

His eyes watered but no tears fell. He was still unable to fully grasp that she was gone.

*******Meanwhile/ Back With Amanda*******

After the Dalek's shrill cry of 'exterminate', Amanda had dropped the phone and flinched against the wall with her eyes scrunched up tightly. She felt extremely confused after a few seconds passed without the slightest sensation of pain. Several thoughts began to zoom through her head.

'_Why am I still alive? What the hell is going on? Did it miss?_'

She opened one of her eyes to chance a look at her would be killer only to be completely shocked that it was just staring at her without the slightest hint as to whether or not it would try again.

"Well?" She prompted it. "What the hell are you waiting for? Are you going to kill me or just stand there?"

"_**I am armed—I will kill—it is my purpose."**_ It threatened.

"Okay, yeah, I get that. So why am I still alive?" She was definitely confused now, bordering on annoyed. "Just get it over with! All those people down there are dead now because of you so what's the hold up?"

"_**They are dead because of us."**_ It corrected her.

"Well, what's stopping you, now, then? Why haven't you just killed me too?"

"_**I feel your fear."**_ It admitted hesitantly.

This definitely caught Amanda's attention.

"No shit!" She snapped. "What were you expecting—warm, fuzzy tingles?"

"_**Daleks do not fear—must not fear!"**_ It shouted as it started to freak out, firing off two more shots in Amanda's direction, but missed her both times. _**"You gave me life. What else did you give me? I am contaminated!"**_ It shrieked.

*******And Back Again To The Others*******

Rose let out a soft, pained cry and buried her face in her hands.

"She would have made it if she'd just left me behind."

The Doctor turned around to face her and spoke in a soothing yet reprimanding voice.

"She was just trying to keep the promise she made to your mum. We're the only ones she has to miss her. You have family, friends, a life….she wanted you to make it home." He then turned angrily to Adam. "You were quick on your feet, leaving them behind!" He accused.

"I'm not the one who closed the vault!" Adam snapped back in his own defense.

The Doctor was about to continue the argument, but was cut off by the voice of the Dalek as it reappeared on the monitors with a very 'not dead' Amanda being held hostage.

"_**Open the bulk-head or Amanda Winters dies."**_ It threatened.

"You're alive!" The Doctor gasped in gleeful shock.

"Come now, Doctor, you didn't think you'd get rid of me that easily did you?" She joked nervously.

"I thought you were dead." He answered in mild distress.

"_**Open the bulk-head!"**_ The Dalek repeated warningly.

"Don't you dare, Doctor." Amanda barked.

"_**What use are emotions if you will not save the woman you love?"**_ It tried.

That definitely hit a nerve. Amanda blushed in disbelief and the Doctor looked on in pain and indecision before his face cleared and he turned to the others in defiant determination.

"I killed her once." He told them as he walked over to the computer. "I can't do it again."

He typed in the code to reopen the bulk-head.

The Dalek started to glide forward, forcing Amanda to move as well by prodding her in the back.

"What do we do now?" Van Statten snapped. "You bleeding heart—what the hell do we do?"

"Kill it when it gets here." Adam suggested eagerly.

"All the guns are useless and the alien weapons are in the vault." Goddard reminded him, slamming her hands down on the desk in agitation.

"Only the cataloged ones." He countered offhandedly.

Van Statten gave him a look as if to say 'oh really?' implying that if they weren't in a situation like the one they were in now, he would be in a lot of trouble.

"Van Statten, stay out of the way, Rose, you wait here, Adam, your with me. Let's see what I've got to work with." The Doctor directed.

Rose looked a little miffed at being told to stay but she complied anyways not wanting to cause any trouble or get in the way. She just hoped that the Doctor was able to save Amanda and get them all out of there safely.

A few minutes later, Adam had led the Doctor to his work room and the latter of the two was digging through a big container of devicesthat Adam had apparently assumed were all functioning weapons.

"Broken." The Doctor announced, tossing a hunk of metal to the side, letting it clatter haphazardly to the floor only to pick up another and do the same while Adam tried his best to hold in his protests at the way the Doctor was tossing his work about. "Broken.…Broken….Hairdryer (he rolled his eyes at that one)…."

"Mr. Van Statten tends to dispose of his staff and when he does he wipes their memory." Adam explained. "I kept this stuff in case I needed to fight my way out one day."

"What—you, in a fight? I'd like to see that." The Doctor scoffed.

"I could do!" Adam argued in his own defense.

"What are you going to do—throw you're A-levels at them?" The Doctor taunted him, and then picked up a really BIG gun that actually worked. "Oh! Yes—lock and load." He said in satisfaction as he prepped it for use.

*******Back With Amanda And The Dalek*******

They were in an elevator, making their way up to Van Statten's office. Amanda watched apprehensively as the numbers decreased, bringing them closer and closer to the surface as she occasionally gave the Dalek's weapon nervous glances.

"Please don't kill him." She requested. "I don't really like him much either, but he doesn't deserve to die. You haven't killed _me_ yet, so surely you—"

She had to quickly duck and back out of the way in surprise as its eye stalk swung around, nearly hitting her.

"_**But why not?"**_ It asked in confusion. _**"Why are you alive? My function is to kill. What am I? What am I?"**_

Amanda rolled her eyes and let out a frustrated sigh. She was just as confused as the Dalek was. Eventually they reached the first floor and the doors dinged open to reveal Statten's office. Inside waiting fearfully was Van Staten himself along with Rose and Goddard who were both off in the farthest corner, standing away from the cowering man.

"Nobody move—don't do anything stupid." Amanda warned them. "Rose, just stay where you are sweetheart." She added soothingly. "It seems to be starting to question itself and we don't want any accidents."

The Dalek moved threateningly towards Statten, backing him into a corner.

"_**Van Staten."**_ It snapped angrily. _**"You tortured me. Why?"**_

"I- I wanted to- to help you." Van Statten stuttered in fear. "I just- I don't know. I was trying to help. I thought if- we could get through to you- that maybe we could- mend you. I wanted to make you better." He tried to explain. "I'm sorry, I'm so sorry, I swear." He pleaded. "I just wanted you to talk!"

"_**Then hear me talk now."**_ It threatened. _**"Exterminate. Exterminate! EXTERMINATE!"**_

"Stop! Please, you don't have to kill him!" Amanda shouted imploringly, before the Dalek could shoot. "You don't have to kill anyone anymore. There must be something else out there that you want more than all of this—anything—just tell us what you want!"

It turned around to face her, turned back to Van Statten once more and then finally settled back on her.

"_**I want freedom."**_ It replied softly, almost pathetically.

"Okay then." Amanda smiled in both relief and confusion, just glad that it wasn't going to kill anyone. "Let's see what we can do about that. Rose, tell the Doctor that we've gone for a bit of a walk."

Rose gave her an uneasy smile and nodded her head in understanding as she watched Amanda follow the Dalek out of the room.

Since they were already on the surface level, it didn't take long for them to get to a wide open corridor that was perfect for what the Dalek wanted to do. Amanda watched as it rose up its blaster and shot a large, gaping hole into the ceiling allowing the sun to shine through.

"Well, there you go then. You got what you wanted…" Amanda pointed out.

She then took a moment to just feel the sunlight on her skin. '_Oh, the things we take for granted…_' She thought with a soft smile as she let out a sigh.

"You know, it's actually been a while sense I've been able to just sit back and enjoy the warmth of the sun." She mused to herself. "The Doctor and I are always so go, go, go..."

"_**How does it feel?"**_

The simple question took her off guard.

"Have you really never felt sunlight before?" She asked in surprise, momentarily taking pity on the creature in spite of what it had just done to everyone in the vault.

Instead of answering, the Dalek began to open its shell with a series of hydraulic and clicking noises to reveal a slimy, squid-like creature with a massive brain and only one eye. It appeared to be hooked up to a sort of life-support system.

She watched curiously as it lifted up one of its tentacles to feel the warmth of the sun on its skin for the first time in its life. The whole thing was rather sad to see.

"Get out of the way!" The Doctor's voice suddenly shouted from behind her.

She whipped her head around to see him standing there with a gun aimed and ready with a dark look of determination on his face. This was something she never thought she'd see, not in a million years and it made her blood run cold.

"AMANDA, GET OUT OF THE WAY, NOW!" He ordered.

"No." She replied calmly, with just a hint of disappointment.

"That thing killed hundreds of people." He snarled angrily.

"He's not the one pointing a gun at me, Doctor." She replied flatly.

"I've got to do this—I've got to end it. The Daleks destroyed my home, my people." He tried to reason with her. "I've got nothing left."

Her eyes went wide in shock for just a split second. That last comment stung even though she knew it shouldn't. Either way, she couldn't let him do this. It just wasn't the way '_her_'Doctor did things.

"What happened to giving everyone a chance, Doctor?" She asked as she stepped aside for him to see. "Just look at it."

The Dalek wasn't even paying either of them the slightest bit of attention. It was too entranced by the suns warm rays.

"What's it doing?" The Doctor asked in confusion.

"It's feeling sunlight for the first time." She explained. "That's all it wants."

"But it can't—" He started to argue, but Amanda cut him off.

"It didn't kill Van Statten, and it didn't kill me. It's not even trying to defend itself now even though you've clearly got a weapon aimed at it…..It's changing." She pointed out. "And what about you, Doctor? What the hell are _you _changing into? 'Cause I've got to say…..since the day I met you….nothing's ever terrified me more than the sight of you like this—armed with a gun."

He lowered the gun, completely stunned. He was torn with indecision. He hated this creature more than anything and he wanted it dead, but Amanda was right. He was letting his hatred consume him.

"I couldn't…." He tried to explain but fell silent. "...I wasn't…" He tried again. "Oh, Amanda. They're all dead." He finally managed to get out, trying not to cry.

"_**Why do we survive?"**_ The Dalek asked.

"I don't know." The Doctor answered.

"_**I am the last of the Daleks."**_

"You're not even that." The Doctor corrected. "Amanda did more than regenerate you. You've absorbed her DNA. You're mutating."

"_**Into what?"**_

"Something new…I'm sorry." The Doctor apologized.

Amanda recognized that his tone was truly sincere and this confused her.

"I don't understand…How is this a bad thing?" She asked him. "Isn't this better?"

"Not for a Dalek." The Doctor answered.

"_**I can feel. So many ideas. So much darkness."**_ It groaned, sounding pained. _**"Amanda, give me orders. Order me to die."**_ It requested.

Amanda flinched away, shaking her head. She felt queasy. She looked to the Doctor for help, but he was just as shocked as she was.

"No." She replied. "I'm sorry, but you can't ask me to do that."

"_**This is not life. This is sickness. I shall not be like you. Order my destruction!"**_ It demanded. _**"Obey. Obey! OBEY!"**_

Amanda felt as if she were turning inside out. She'd never been the direct cause of something's death before. Sure, while traveling with the Doctor, they'd given life-forms the noose to hang themselves with, but they'd never actually wrapped the rope around someone's neck and shoved them over the edge. But….she couldn't let it suffer either.

"Dalek…I order you….I order you to destroy yourself." She commanded as firmly as she could.

"_**Are you frightened, Amanda Winters?"**_

"Yes." She answered in a strained voice.

"_**So am I…"**_ It admitted. _**"…Exterminate." **_

Amanda backed away from it and quickly moved towards the Doctor as a few tears slipped down her face. After everything that happened today, this was not the way she expected it to end. The two of them watched as the Dalek resealed its shell and levitated itself. Little round balls detached themselves from its armor and surrounded it in a uniformed, sphere formation and set off some sort of electrical field that imploded upon itself, taking all traces of the Dalek with it.

The Doctor reached out and took Amanda's hand, squeezing it in comfort.

"Let's go and collect Rose." He suggested.

Amanda simply nodded her head and the two of them walked together in silence. Once they made it back up to Van Statten's office (who was nowhere to be seen) Rose ran up to Amanda and wrapped her in a comforting hug.

"Thanks." Amanda responded with a light smile. "I needed that."

"Are you okay?" Rose asked hesitantly.

"Yep!" Amanda chirped with a brighter grin as if all was right with the world.

She didn't want Rose to worry.

"You know I hate it when you do that." The Doctor whispered to her.

"Back at yeah." She taunted.

"Right!" He grinned at the two of them. "Let's be off, shall we?"

Rose looked back and forth between her smiling friends, not believing even for a moment that they were really okay, but she decided to just let it go. She smiled back at them encouragingly and started them off towards the TARDIS.

While Rose was in the lead, Amanda fell back a few steps and pulled the Doctor with her. There was still something on her mind that was bugging her and she didn't want Rose to overhear.

"Did you mean what you said earlier?" She asked him in a whisper.

"What?" He asked in confusion.

"That you had nothing left?" She clarified.

He wasn't sure how to respond. In a way, yes, he did mean it, but at the same time….He thought back to when he thought she was dead and his hearts clenched in pain. He couldn't even stand the thought of it and that in itself was dangerous.

They dropped their hands once they'd reached the beautiful blue 'Police Box' and the Doctor reached out to cares her paneling.

"A piece of home." He sighed with a soft smile.

"Better than 'nothing'." Amanda prompted with a smirk.

He gave her a small nod of agreement and she placed her hand reassuringly on his shoulder.

"Sooo…" Rose spoke up, catching their attention. "Is that the end of it, the Time War?"

"I'm the only one left." He confirmed with a melancholy attitude, hidden behind a false smirk. "I win. How about that?"

For some reason, Amanda had a sinking feeling nagging at the back of her mind. Something was telling her that the Doctor's assumption was…wrong. '_Good Lord, lighten up Amanda!_' She thought to herself. '_One victory at a time…_'

"The Dalek survived. Maybe some of your people did, too." Rose encouraged, trying to stay positive.

The image of a man's face along with a manic laugh, flashed through Amanda's mind for but a second and then it was gone. She had no idea who it was, but the vision left her with goose-bumps that tingled their way up her arm. '_Weird…_'

"I'd know. In here." He corrected, gesturing to his temple. "Feels like there's no one."

"Time Lords have this sort of psychic link that connected them as a people." Amanda explained, ignoring the curious look that the Doctor was giving her. "They could always tell when another was nearby."

"Well then….." Rose smirked while popping Amanda playfully in the shoulder. "It's a good thing we're not going anywhere."

Amanda chuckled at Rose's enthusiasm.

"You got that right, sweetheart." She agreed, wrapping her arm around the Doctor's waist. "He couldn't get rid of us, even if he tried."

The Doctor smiled gratefully at the two of them, but then frowned as he noticed the kid from earlier that was running up to them with a duffle-bag, trying to get Rose's attention. Amanda looked over when she noticed his expression and put on a matching frown of her own when she saw who he was looking at. She squeezed the Doctor tighter and hid her face in his side as she let out an annoyed groan.

"We better get out." Adam warned Rose in a rush. "Van Staten's disappeared. They're closing down the base. Goddard says they're going to fill the place with cement, like it never existed."

"Good." Amanda commented with a relived smirk. "Humans should really stick to collecting things from their own planet anyways. Like stamps or baseball cards."

"I'll have to go back home." Adam sighed disappointedly, completely ignoring Amanda's comment.

"You better hurry up then." The Doctor prompted flippantly. "The next flight to Heathrow leaves in fifteen-hundred hours. (That's military time)

"Adam was saying that all his life, he wanted to see the stars." Rose hinted with a pleading smile.

"Tell him to go and stand outside, then." The Doctor shrugged-off teasingly.

"Honestly, Rose, you're not going to make a habit of trying to bring home strays are you?" Amanda bantered.

"He's all on his own, you guys, and he _did_ help." She pleaded, innocently.

"He let Amanda get stuck down there." The Doctor countered.

"So did you." Rose pointed out incredulously.

"Ouch." Amanda grimaced. "Poke the man with a stick why don't you."

Adam was staring at their friendly bantering session as if they were all crazy.

"What are you guys talking about? We've got to leave!" He pressed insistently.

Amanda only rolled her eyes at him in exasperation.

"Well, leave then if you're in such a hurry." She said dismissively.

He gave her an annoyed look.

"You know, Rose, the kid's a bit pretty when he's not doing that sower, pouty-face thing." Amanda teased.

"I hadn't noticed." Rose tried to brush off nonchalantly.

"On your own head, then. " The Doctor conceded with a reluctant sigh as he unlocked the TARDIS.

"What are you doing?" Adam asked in confusion.

"If he ends up screwing us over, Rose…..I'm kicking him where the sun doesn't shine." Amanda warned her as the girls followed the Doctor inside. "Now, how about a nice cup of tea?" She suggested.

Rose knew her friend was dead serious about her threat, but she couldn't help but laugh anyways. Poor Adam better behave himself.

"Hello lover!" Amanda called out happily to the ship. "You'll never guess what happened today…" Her voice trailed off as she head down the hallway to start the kettle after the others nodded their agreement.

Meanwhile, Adam was still lingering outside, freaking out.

"She said cement!" He persisted. "She wasn't joking! We're going to get sealed in!"

He moved closer when no one responded.

"Doctor? What are you doing standing inside a box?"

The TARDIS started to make the 'whooshing' noise, indicating that it was about to dematerialize. Curious about the sound of the box and the lack of reply from the others, Adam stepped inside.

"Rose?" He called out hesitantly.

The door shut behind him and the TARDIS disappeared, taking them away to their next adventure.

_*****End Of Chapter (6)*****_

*****Thank you for reading! I hope you enjoyed this chapter! Let me know what you think! By the way…does anyone else think that Daleks look like Squid-billies?**

*****Don't forget to check out my profile for picture links! **


	8. Bad News Bad

*****FINALY! Here it is…an update…and I am so sorry it took so long! Seriously though, this chapter was like pulling teeth (it's not one of my favorite episodes)! Plus, I just got a promotion at work and so I'm still getting use to the new scheduling and what-not (no walls of gold here either, unfortunately). Any-who…don't forget to check out my profile for picture links (I've posted her outfit for this chapter). Also, some people were asking how much longer it will be till The Doctor & Amanda are **_**truly**_** together…..sorry, but I can't tell you….I do have it all planed out, but I don't want to give it away…though it won't be too long now ;) And to make up for that, as well as how long it took me to update….(warning) there is a big batch of fluffiness at the end of this chapter!**

****Major thank you(s) to everyone who's left me a comment for this story! You guys are the best and I'm so glad you like it! Oh! And there will be a funny note at the end of this chapter, so stay tuned! Now on with the story!**

**Impossible or Just Highly Unlikely**

_Bad News Bad_

*******TARDIS/ Kitchen/ Next Day, Around Lunch-Time*******

"Goooood afternoon, my lovely lady!" Amanda greeted Rose cheerfully. "You're rockin that jacket by the way. I'm usually not a big fan of pink, but you my friend always manage to wear it well. Kudos to you!"

Rose laughed at her friend's obnoxiously positive energy.

"Hello to you too." She mocked with a smirk. "And thanks….I think…."

"No problemo." Amanda replied.

Rose watched as Amanda practically danced over to the kettle to make herself a cup of tea while humming a random tune. '_Weird…_'

"So, why are you so…..happy?" Rose asked out of curiosity. "Not that I'm complaining." She added.

"I'm almost finished with my latest project!" Amanda answered excitedly.

"Really? That's great!" Rose congratulated.

Just then, Adam stumbled into the kitchen looking relieved. Amanda smirked and raised her eyebrow at him teasingly.

"Bit lost there, were you?" She asked him.

"This place is like a fun-house." He complained.

"Ha! Emphasis on 'FUN', right Lover?" Amanda called out to the ship.

The TARDIS hummed happily back in reply making her grin madly.

"Well…" Amanda stated as she made another mug of tea to bring to the Doctor. "We'll be waiting for the two of you in the console room when you're ready." She informed them and made to leave.

"Why do they talk to the ship like it can actually understand them?" Adam asked Rose, trying but failing to whisper.

"Because she can." Amanda called out over her shoulder just before she turned the corner, making Adam jump in embarrassment at being overheard.

Rose tried to muffle her chuckles with her own mug of tea, but it didn't help much.

*******Console Room*******

The Doctor looked up from the controls and smiled when he saw Amanda walk in carrying an extra mug of tea.

"Here we are." She offered him happily. "Dash of milk, just the way you like it."

"Thanks." He replied, taking the mug.

He 'nonchalantly' gave her a once over as he took a sip.

"You look nice." He commented.

"Really?—" She murmured questioningly as she looked down at what she had on.

She was wearing a short, white, spaghetti-strapped sundress with black outlines of flowers embroidered along the bust and hem, over a pair of blue jeans and black ballet-flats.

"—Thanks!" She added, giving him a peck on the cheek in appreciation. "I had a 'feeling' this morning that wherever it is we end up going today would be really warm, so I thought, what the hell….sundress." She reasoned.

He just chuckled to himself and shook his head.

A few minutes later, Rose strolled into the room with a bright smile, followed closely by Adam who somehow managed to look both excited and terrified at the same time.

"Right then—" The Doctor started with a mischievous smirk.

"—Off we go!" Amanda finished with an impish smirk of her own.

The two of them moved around the console in perfect sink to work their magic—Amanda following the directions the Doctor had already given her just before the others had walked in so it would look to Adam like she knew what she was doing.

Rose had forgotten to warn him before hand to brace himself for the bumpy ride so the poor guy ended up on the floor by the time they landed making Amanda and the Doctor smirk in amusement.

"Here we are, then, Adam….your first trip." Amanda announced. "Just hang back a second while we check to make sure it's safe." She instructed him in a mock mothering tone.

Just before the trio stepped outside, Amanda leaned closer to Rose.

"Okay, Rose, now it's your turn to show off." She whispered mischievously. "Let's show this guy of yours that you're smarter than the average bear."

"Alright, I'm game." She agreed enthusiastically.

They stepped outside and closed the door behind them so Adam couldn't hear.

"So, it's two-hundred thousand. It's a space ship….No, wait a minute…..space station, and, err…..try that gate over there." The Doctor informed her, gesturing to a set of doors on the other side of the room.

"Two-hundred thousand?" Rose asked in confirmation.

"Two-hundred thousand." He assured her.

Rose grinned and popped her head back into the TARDIS.

"Oh, this is going to be precious." Amanda whispered to the Doctor cheerfully as she hugged his arm.

"Adam!" Rose called out reassuringly. "Out you come." She beckoned as he approached the door.

The other two looked on in glee as they watched his reaction.

"Oh, my God!" He gasped in shock.

"Don't worry." Rose assured him. "You'll get used to it."

"Where are we?" He asked, still in awe as he looked about the large room they were in.

"Good question." Rose started nonchalantly and continued confidently when the Doctor winked at her. "Let's see…..judging by the architecture, I'd say we're around the year two-hundred thousand, and if you listen…." She prompted him to do so and he caught on to the sound of humming… "Engines. I'd say we're in some sort of space station—yeah, definitely a space station." She clarified. "It's a bit warm in here. They could turn the heating down." She commented offhandedly.

The Doctor glanced down at Amanda with a raised eyebrow at that remark and she responded with a flirtatious wink before she released his arm to take a small stroll around the room while she innocently hummed to herself. He followed her with his eyes in amusement until Rose spoke up again.

"Tell you what—let's try that gate." She suggested. "Come on."

Adam followed closely after her while the others took their time. When they got to the caged door, Rose shoved it to the side and climbed the few steps that led them all to an observation deck with a large window that took up the entire wall.

"Here we go—and this is…" She started to explain, but trailed off not really knowing what to say about the sight before them. "I'll let the Doctor describe it…"

Amanda stepped up next to the Doctor with a soft, appreciative smile as she looked out at the future planet Earth beneath them and he wrapped his arm around her shoulder.

"The Forth Great and Bountiful Human Empire." He confirmed. "And there it is—Planet Earth at its height. Covered with mega-cities, five moons, and a population of ninety-six billion. The hub of a galactic domain stretching across a million planets, a million species, with mankind right in the middle."

Just then, Adam, who was completely overwhelmed, collapsed unceremoniously to the floor in a straight up faint. Nobody even bothered to spare him a second glance, though Rose did frown slightly in disappointment as they the trio continued to stare at the Earth.

"He's _your_ boyfriend." The Doctor pointed out flippantly, with just a hint of smugness.

"Not anymore." She replied flatly.

"Nice." Amanda smirked.

*******Five Minutes Later*******

"Come on, Adam. Open your mind." Amanda tried to encourage him as they walked down a corridor that would supposedly lead them into one of the main sections of the space station. "You're gonna like this—"

The poor guy was still a little embarrassed about what happened just a few minutes ago.

"—Fantastic period of history." The Doctor took over. "The human race at its most intelligent—culture, art, politics— this era's got fine food, good manners…."

He was then cut off by a rude man who nearly clipped them with his bike.

"Out of the way!" He shouted angrily at them.

And just like that, the area came to life with the sounds of crashes, dinging bells, and people yelling at one another as food venders opened their stations for the lunch rush. People wove haphazardly between each other, pushing and shoving in every direction to place their orders quickly.

"Fine cuisine?" Rose asked skeptically when she saw the menus that were listed with items that looked like they were for fast-food chains and shopping-mall food courts.

"My watch must be wrong." He admitted in confusion as he double checked it. "No, it's fine…"

"That's weird." Amanda commented.

The two of them shared a concerned look.

"That comes with showing off. Your history's not as good as you thought." Rose pointed out in slight reprimand.

"My history is perfect." He argued confidently.

"Well, obviously not." Rose countered tauntingly.

"They're all human." Adam pointed out in confusion. "What about the millions of planets and species? Where are they?"

"That's a good question." Amanda affirmed, though slightly shocked.

"Actually, that _is_ a good question." The Doctor agreed, just as shocked.

He and Amanda exchanged another look.

"Adam, me old mate. You must be starving." The Doctor suggested, giving him a friendly pat on the back.

"No, I'm just a bit time sick." He claimed.

"Nah, you just need a bit of grub." The Doctor insisted, and then turned to the nearest vendor and called out— "Oi, mate! How much is a Kronkburger?"

"Two credits twenty, Sweetheart." The grubby man flirted.

The Doctor smiled back in thanks.

"Hey!" Amanda protested. "No one calls him 'sweetheart' but me."

"You got it little lady." The man acknowledged with a wink, flirting with her as well. "Now, join the queue!"

Amanda rolled her eyes and huffed, looking back at the Doctor in amusement.

"Money—we need money!" He exclaimed in realization as he started to walk away. "Let's use a cashpoint."

They all watched as he pulled out his sonic screwdriver and aimed it at a credit machine.

"Oh! I love this bit." Amanda chirped.

The screwdriver buzzed for a second until a little plastic card as thick as a candy-bar that resembled something similar to a flash-drive, popped out which was then handed to Adam.

"There you go—pocket money." The Doctor explained.

"He's just crafty like that." Amanda bragged, making the Doctor grin in triumph.

Don't spend it all on sweets." He added in mock sternness.

The two of them then made to leave, but were stopped by a confused Adam.

"How does it work?" He questioned.

"Go and find out. Stop nagging me!" The Doctor answered impatiently. "The thing is, Adam, time travel's like visiting Paris. You can't just read the guidebook. You've got to throw yourself in—eat the food, use the wrong verbs, get charged double and end up kissing complete strangers." He explained, and then as an afterthought, he jokingly asked, "Or is that just me?"

The girls giggled at this and Amanda thwacked him on the arm in playful reprimand. The Doctor then shooed them away.

"Stop asking questions. Go and do it!" He insisted, and then added teasingly to Rose, "Off you go, then. Your first date."

"You're gonna get a smack, you are!" She warned him while trying not to laugh.

"Aww, come now, Rose. No need to be embarrassed." Amanda taunted as she linked her arm with the Doctor's. "We'd love to join you, but everyone knows that double dates are over rated."

"I'll smack you too, you know." Rose threatened jokingly.

Amanda blew her a kiss and tugged the Doctor in the opposite direction.

"You kids have fun!" She called over her shoulder as they walked away.

When the others were no longer in sight, Amanda stopped and looked up at the Doctor questioningly.

"So…..time to do some undercover activities, then?"

"Yep. Something's not right." He answered, and then stopped two women that were walking past. "Excuse me, this is going to sound daft, but can you tell us where we are?"

"Floor one-three-nine." The one with mocha skin and beaded corn-row hair answered while gesturing up to a wall where large numbers where painted in black. "Could they write it any bigger?" She asked them sarcastically.

"Floor one-three-nine of what?" Amanda prompted.

"Must have been a hell of a party." The same woman commented in a snarky tone.

"You're on Satellite Five." The other woman replied with a sweet smile.

She seemed to be the friendlier of the two, with short brown hair and a cherub-like face.

"What's Satellite Five?" The Doctor pressed on.

"Hold on, how could you get on board without knowing where you are?" The snarky one asked.

"Look at me, I'm stupid." The Doctor claimed.

"Yep!" Amanda agreed jokingly. "And since he's my escort, I'm lost by default."

The Doctor rolled his eyes at her and she responded by sticking out her tongue.

"Wait a minute." The nicer woman spoke up nervously as though something important just dawned on her. "Are you a test? Some sort of management test kind of thing?"

"Awww, you've caught us. Well done." The Doctor answered, going along with it.

He pulled out his psychic paper and flashed it for them like a badge.

"Too clever for us." Amanda congratulated.

"We were warned about this in basic training." She reminded her friend. "All workers have to be versed in company promotion."

"Right. Fire away—ask your questions." The snarky one insisted in a more pleasant tone than she'd used previously. "If it gets me to floor five-hundred, then I'll do anything." She admitted.

"Why? What happens on floor five-hundred?" Amanda asked curiously.

The woman looked at her in confusion, but replied anyways.

"The walls are made of gold…you should know, Mr. and Mrs. Management."

"Oh…" Amanda blushed.

"We're not 'together'…." The Doctor tried to help.

Though neither seemed to realize that they were still holding each other's hand with their fingers laced together.

"Riiiight." The woman smirked at them and continued on. "So, this is what we do—" She started to explain while leading them in the direction they had originally been heading.

The other woman smiled at them sweetly and gestured for them to follow.

"—Latest news—sandstorms on the New Venus Archipelago, two-hundred dead." She spouted off without even the slightest hint of emotion, gesturing to some video screens on a nearby wall. "The Glasgow water riots are into their third day. Space Lane Seventy-seven is closed due to sunspot activity. And over on the BADWOLF channel, The Face Of Boe has just announce he's pregnant." She finished, looking rather proud of herself.

"Oh! Good for him!" Amanda cheered in surprise. "Though, I wonder why he doesn't ever mention a child when we meet him on Platform One…..Unless he knew that we never meet him or her…or perhaps I mention it to him in a future meeting before that meeting so he knows not to say anything…"Her face then goes pale at another thought. "Oh! I hope it's not because something bad happens to it between now and then…." Then she shakes her head reassuringly. "No, no…I'm getting ahead of myself…this could very well be just a hoax or a misunderstanding….."

She trailed off sheepishly at the looks they were giving her. '_Gosh, I seem to do this a lot._'

"Sorry, supposedly The Face of Boe is a good friend of mine. Our time streams are just a bit muddled…..anyways…um…"

The Doctor came to her rescue.

"I get it…so you lot broadcast the news." He clarified.

"We _are_ the news. We're the journalists." The woman corrected. "We write it, package it, and sell it. Six-hundred channels—all coming out of Satellite Five—broadcasting everywhere. Nothing happens in the whole human empire without it going through us." She informed them somewhat smugly.

Suddenly, a loud, obnoxious alarm went off to signal the end of the lunch break and everyone started to hurry back towards their work stations.

"Oi, Mutt and Jeff!" The Doctor called out when he spotted Rose and Adam sitting in utter confusion a few yards away. "Over here!" He beckoned.

"These, lovely ladies here are going to show us around their work station as part of our _inspection_." Amanda hinted to Rose, hoping that she would catch on.

"Don't worry about them." The Doctor assured the two women when they gave him questioning looks. "These two are new to management….this is the first surprise inspection they've overseen, so we're showing them the ropes as it were." He explained.

"Right, so… shall we press on then?" Rose asked, trying to play along.

As they all made their way towards the studio that the two women worked in, the more aggressive of the two made an observation.

"Does your lot always work in pairs? I mean…do you get assigned a partner when you're promoted or something?" She asked.

"Not really, no…" Amanda answered. "He and I just enjoy working together." She gestured to the Doctor. "This was all sort of just convenient. You see, I'm training her and he's training him." Amanda explained.

She smiled triumphantly when the Doctor gave her an approving grin at her quick thinking.

Eventually, they all arrived and entered into a room that was completely white, floor to ceiling. Everything except for the center piece that consisted of a round, metal platform with a black chair that looked like something you'd find at the dentist, surrounded by a ring with seven panel stations. A person sat on a low cushion in front of each station where they would eventually place their hands on gelled palm-scanners.

The four of them were made to stand behind a section of railing to keep them safe and out of the way during the broadcasting session.

"Now, everybody behave." The aggressive woman took charge and instructed her team. "We have a management inspection." She then turned towards the four guests. "How do you want it then, by the book?"

"Oh, right from scratch, thanks." The Doctor requested.

Rose and Adam both looked at him in skeptical amusement like he was nuts, to which he gave them a cheeky grin in return. Amanda nudged him playfully as a silent way of warning him to behave. They all looked on in curiosity.

"Okay." The woman spoke up again, demanding everyone's attention. "So, ladies, gentlemen, multisex, undecided, or robot—my name is Cathica Santini Khadeni." She then, not so subtly, hinted to their guests with a charming smile… "That's Cathica with a 'C', in case you want to write to Floor Five-hundred, praising me—and please do!" Then back to the rest of the room… "Please feel free to ask any questions. The proses of news gathering must be open, honest, and unbiased. That's company police." Again, she flashed them a smile.

"Actually—" The friendlier of the two spoke up, trying to be helpful. "—it's the law."

She also flashed them a smile, but hers was friendly and innocent which the Doctor and Amanda responded to just as genuine. Cathica saw this and quickly brought the attention back to herself.

"Yes—thank you, Suki." She affirmed her friend, though her voice was slightly tinted with annoyance. "Okay, keep it calm. Don't show off for the guests." She directed as she made to lay down on the center chair. "…And….engage safety…."

The others moved their hands so they hovered just above their palm-pads and a trilling hum from the equipment was heard throughout the room. Then, Cathica clicked her fingers causing a section of her forehead to open up, exposing her frontal-lobe.

Amanda leaned over to whisper a comment to the Doctor.

"Judging by that confused look on your face…I'm guessing that's not supposed to be normal."

He shook his head in response, confirming her suspicions.

The other workers placed their hands down onto the palm-pads with their eyes closed in concentration. Cathica counted them down to their broadcast.

"And three….two….and spike." She announced.

A white-ish, blue electrical current of information shot down from the transmitter hanging from the ceiling, straight into her brain. None of the workers were even aware of their guests' presence anymore which allowed the time travelers to move around and speak openly.

"Compressed bits of information, streaming straight into her head." Amanda marveled out loud, with just a hint of distress in her voice.

"Reports from every, city, every country, every planet, and they all get packaged inside her head. She becomes part of the software. Her brain _IS_ the computer." The Doctor confirmed.

"That's not high tech, it's barbaric." Amanda commented in disapproval. "I agree that our brains are like computers, yes, but that doesn't mean they should be messed with like this." She snapped. "They have no idea…" She added in an almost whisper.

The Doctor knew she was thinking about whatever it was that brought her here and how it whipped her memory. To see someone send an electrical pulls through their head on purpose as if it were no big deal, must really be putting her on edge. He wove their hands together again in comfort.

"So, if it all goes through _her_, she must be a genius." Rose commented.

Amanda scoffed at that and the Doctor squeezed her hand tighter.

"Naw." He corrected as he pulled Amanda along to get a closer look. "She wouldn't remember it. There's too much—her head would blow up." He explained.

"So, the brain's the processor. As soon as it closes, she forgets." Amanda confirmed.

"Exactly." The Doctor replied.

Rose decided to get a closer look as well and made to follow them.

"What about all these people on the edge?" She asked, gesturing to the circle of workers.

"They've all got tiny chips in their heads, connecting them to her. And they transmit six-hundred channels. Every single fact in the Empire beams out of this place." He explained.

"Now, that's what I call power." Amanda commented, exchanging a look with the Doctor.

The three of them walked back over to Adam who was being surprisingly quiet.

"Are you alright?" Rose asked him.

"I can see her brain." He replied, seeming as though he still hadn't gotten past that aspect.

"Do you want to get out?" Rose offered in concern.

"No—no, this technology, it—it's amazing." He admitted in awe.

Amanda rolled her eyes in annoyance. '_Did he honestly hear nothing we just said?_'

"This technology is wrong." The Doctor corrected.

"Trouble?" Rose asked in amusement.

"Like we could travel without it." Amanda scoffed sarcastically, with a cheeky grin.

Right on cue, the equipment made an odd noise and Suki quickly pulled her hands away and clutched them to her chest.

"Come off it, Suki! I wasn't even half way." Cathica reprimanded after her head closed and her mind cleared . "What was that for?"

"Sorry." Suki winced. "There must have been a glitch."

Suddenly, Amanda let out a pained hiss, catching her friends' attentions. She pinched the bridge of her nose to try and ease away the stinging sensation.

"What? What is it? What's wrong?" The Doctor asked in concern.

She gave her head a shake to clear it before she answered.

"I'm not sure" She admitted. "But something very bad is about to happen."

Barely two seconds later, a soft bell chimed, followed by a cheerful computerized voice.

"_**Promotion!" **_It announced.

Everyone turned towards a large video-screen that appeared on the far wall with the word 'promotion' flashing across it.

"Wow." Rose remarked in confusion. "First the Doctor's history is on the fritz and now your ESP thing."

Amanda gave her an annoyed look.

"There's nothing wrong with us….it's this place—something's not right, here." She defended.

"Come on! This is it. Come on!" Cathica chanted. "Oh, my God. Make it me! Come on. Say my name. Say my name. Say my name!"

The four of them watched her closely. She was starting to sound a bit _too_ obsessive.

"_**Promotion for: Suki Macrae Cantrell. Please proceed to Floor Five-hundred." **_

The screen flashed her name accompanied by her employee photo.

"I don't believe it!" Suki gasped in shocked surprise. "Floor Five-hundred."

"How the hell did you manage that?" Cathica demanded, her voice dripping with jealousy. "I'm above you!"

"I don't know! I just applied on the off chance." She replied, still in awe. "And they've said yes!" She squeaked excitedly.

"That is so not fair! I've been applying to Floor Five-hundred for three years!" Cathica complained.

It was obvious that she was completely disappointed if not a little bit angry as well. Her attitude peaked the Doctor's interest. They would definitely have to look into this Floor Five-hundred with its highly coveted golden walls.

"What's Floor Five-hundred?" Asked Rose in confusion.

"The walls are supposedly made of gold." Amanda informed her. "Though what that has anything to do with the job itself or the actual working conditions is beyond me." She mumbled as an afterthought.

*******20 Minutes Later*******

After Suki had gathered her things, everyone met her at the elevator to say goodbye.

"Oh, Cathica, I'm going to miss you!" Suki called out to her sincerely, even though said person wasn't being very supportive, and then turned to Amanda and the Doctor. "Floor Five-hundred! Thank you!"

"We didn't do anything." The Doctor pointed out, but smiled anyways.

"Well you two are my lucky charms." She explained.

Amanda flinched at this, feeling extremely guilty for some reason, but couldn't figure out why.

"Alright—" The Doctor accepted cheerfully. "—I'll hug anyone."

Amanda not so subtly yet very playfully reacted with a fake cough.

"_Cough! Cough!_ Jack The Ripper. _Cough! Cough!_" She teasingly reminded him of when they first met.

The Doctor gave her a mock-stern look and rolled his eyes with a smirk as he gave Suki a big hug. Amanda soon followed and gave Suki a fierce hug as well and was struck with a subconscious fear of letting her go afterward, but released her none-the-less.

"Oh, my God! I've got to go." Suki exclaimed, making her way into the elevator with her bags. "I can't keep them waiting. I'm sorry!" Then as an afterthought, she called out to them again. "Say bye to Steve for me…..Bye!"

"Sorry." Amanda whispered as the doors closed and a tear rolled down her cheek. "I'm so, so sorry…..and I wish I knew why."

The Doctor caught this and looked back at the elevator doors in concern. Then Cathica made a comment that made the feeling of unease even worse.

"Good riddance." She grumbled.

"You're talking like you'll never see her again." The Doctor pointed out in confusion.

"We won't." She confirmed. "Once you go to Floor Five-hundred, you never come back."

The trio looked at each other with a mixture of morbid curiosity and concern.

"Have you ever been up there?" The Doctor asked her as they all started to walk back in the opposite direction.

"You can't." She replied. "You need a key for the lift and you only get a key with promotion. No one gets to Floor Five-hundred except for the chosen few."

But they wouldn't let up. They continued to follow her all the way back to her work station.

"Look, they only give us twenty minutes for maintenance. Can't you give it a rest?" Cathica asked in exasperation.

"Negative." Amanda replied with a calm smile.

"You've never been to another floor? Not even one floor down?" The Doctor persisted as he lay down in the center chair.

He let out a soft grunt when Amanda plopped down on his lap, to which she responded with a teasing smirk and few comforting pats of her hand on his chest. Rose leaned against the head rest to make herself comfortable as wall.

Cathica could see that they weren't going to leave her alone any time soon and so decided to just answer the questions.

"I went to Floor Sixteen when I first arrived. That's Medical—that's when I got my head done, and then, I came straight here." She informed them. "Satellite Five. We work, eat, and sleep on the same floor. That's it—that's all." She then paused and got this accusatory look on her face as she finally clued in to something. "You lot aren't management, are you?"

Rose and Amanda rolled their eyes and the Doctor gave her a teasing smile.

"At last! She's clever!" He cheered sarcastically.

"Yeah, well whatever it is, don't involve me. I don't know anything." She warned.

"Well, that's kind of obvious, yeah." Amanda pointed out provokingly to which Cathica scowled.

"Don't you even ask?" The Doctor prompted.

"Well, why would I?" Cathica scoffed in exasperation.

"And you call yourself a journalist?" Amanda tisked, looking completely unimpressed. "So, why is all the crew human?"

Cathica looked taken aback.

"What has that got to do with anything?" She asked defensively.

"I haven't seen a single alien on board—why?" Amanda clarified.

"I don't know." She answered hesitantly, and then continued all flustered when they rolled their eyes at her. "No real reason—they're not banned or anything."

"Well, where are they?" The Doctor pressed.

"I suppose immigration's tightened up—it had to what with all the threats." She suggested.

"What threats?" The Doctor questioned, thinking they were getting somewhere.

But, no….just another dead-end.

"I don't know—all of them. Usual stuff." She answered, and then added after a second thought… "And the price of spacewarp doubled, so that kept the visitors away…. Oh, and the government on Chavic Fice collapsed, so that lot stopped coming, you see….. Just lots of little reasons, that's all."

"All adding up to one great big fact—" The Doctor incited.

"—You didn't even notice." Amanda elaborated.

"Doctor—" Cathica insisted. "—I think if there was any sort of conspiracy, Satellite Five would have seen it. We see everything."

"I can see better." He claimed confidently. "And she can feel it." He gestured to Amanda. "This society's the wrong shape. Even the technology."

"It's cutting edge!" Cathica protested.

"It's backwards!" Amanda snapped. "You've got a great big _door_ in your head, Cathica!"

"That should have been chucked out years ago." The Doctor confirmed.

"So what do you thinks going on?" Rose asked, finally joining the conversation.

"It's not just this space station. It's the whole attitude—it's the way people think." The Doctor answered, gesturing to Cathica, disappointedly. "The Great and Bountiful Human Empire is stunted. Something's holding it back."

"And how would you know?" Cathica asked him, defiantly.

She crossed her arms and arched an eyebrow questioningly.

"Trust me." The Doctor replied. "Humanity's been set back about ninety years…. Tell me, when did Satellite Five start broadcasting?"

She thought about it and then answered hesitantly.

"Ninety-_one_ years ago."

*******5 Minutes Later*******

"We're so going to get in trouble." Cathica grumbled as she kept watch.

The Doctor was using his sonic screwdriver on a maintenance door near the elevator that lead to the inner-workings of the main computer.

"You're not allowed to touch the mainframe! You'll get told off!" She warned them.

"Rose, tell her to button it." Amanda sighed in annoyance as she watched the Doctor do his thing.

The woman was really starting to get on their nerves.

"You don't just vandalize the place, someone's going to notice!" She persisted.

With that, the door clicked and the Doctor pulled it open.

"Yeah, he's just awesome like that." Amanda smirked over her shoulder to the nervous woman.

Cathica watched them for a moment as the Doctor prodded about with his screwdriver while simultaneously explaining to both Rose and Amanda how different bits worked. Which both girls seemed to be completely focused on.

"This has nothing to do with me. I'm going back to work." Cathica informed them.

"Right, go on, then. See ya." The Doctor chirped flippantly.

"Later." Amanda waved half-heartedly, not really paying attention to her anymore.

Rose didn't even bother to acknowledge her at all.

"Well, I can't just leave you, can I?" Cathica whined.

"Look, if you want to be useful, get'm to turn the heating down—it's boiling." Rose huffed as she helped Amanda with some cables. "What's wrong with this place? Can't they do something about it?"

"I don't know, we keep asking. It has something to do with the turbines." She groaned anxiously.

"Something to do with the turbine." The Doctor mocked her.

"Well, I don't know!" She snapped.

"Exactly. I give up on you, Cathica. Now, look at Rose—Rose is asking the right kind of question."

Rose turned around and flashed a cheesy yet smug grin.

"I thank you." She gloated while Amanda playfully ruffled her hair a bit, looking very proud of her friend.

"Why is it so hot?" The Doctor repeated.

"One minute you're worried about the Empire and the next it's the central heating" Cathica complained.

"Never underestimate the plumbing!" Amanda advised her. "The plumbing is very important."

She then held the Doctor's screw driver while he pulled on a bundle of cables, snapping them apart. He paused for a moment and exchanged an 'oops' look with her before he moved on as if he meant to do it all along making her chuckle. Cathica only continued to groan at this.

"Here we go! Satellite Five—pipes and plumbing." The Doctor announced, showing them all a monitor. "Look at the layout."

Cathica took hold of the screen to get a better look.

"This is ridiculous." She gasped in awe, finally taking some interest in what the Doctor was trying to show her. "You've got access to the computer's core. You could look at the archives, news, the stock exchange….and you're looking at pipes?"

"But there's something wrong." Amanda pointed out to her.

"I suppose…" She tentatively agreed, taking a second look.

"Why, what is it?" Rose asked, not wanting to be out of the loop.

"The ventilation systems—the cooling ducts, the ice filters…they're all working flat out." Cathica explained.

The Doctor and Amanda smirked at her behind her back, both happy that she was starting to actually think.

"They're channeling massive amounts of heat down…" She continued, but trailed off.

"All the way from the top." The Doctor finished for her, smugly.

"Floor Five-hundred." Rose confirmed.

"Something up there is generating tons and tons of heat."

"Well, I don't know about you, but I feel like I'm missing out on a party." Rose joked. "It's all going on upstairs. Fancy a trip?" She prompted.

"You can't. You need a key." Cathica reminded her.

"Keys are just codes." The Doctor shrugged off dismissively. "I've got the codes right here."

"I could have sworn that I already told you that he was awesome like that." Amanda chided her impishly.

"Here we go. Override two-one-five point nine." The Doctor confirmed.

"How come it's giving _you_ the code?" Cathica asked in disbelief.

"Someone up there likes me." He tossed out half-heartedly.

"Which means they probably don't." Amanda corrected teasingly.

The Doctor gave her a playful shove in mock annoyance.

"Hush you."

She only hip-checked him back with a taunting smirk. Rose let out a small laugh at the sight of their banter as they made their way towards the elevator.

"You two can be so childish sometimes." She jokingly reprimanded them.

"Don't be jealous." Amanda taunted, making them all chuckle, except for Cathica who was looking at them like they were crazy.

"Come on—come with us." Rose beckoned her.

"No way." She refused.

The Doctor and Amanda both waved at her cheerfully.

"Bye!" They sang.

"Well, don't mention my name." She called out to them pleadingly. "When you get in trouble, just don't involve me."

And with that, she walked away.

"Well, that's her gone." The Doctor remarked. "Adam's given up. Looks like it's just the three of us."

"Yeah." Rose agreed.

"Good." The Doctor smirked.

"Sweet!" Amanda fist-pumped.

The three of them, then grabbed each other's hands. The Doctor held Amanda's and she held Rose's.

"It's better this way anyways….more fun." Amanda noted. "Speaking of Faint-y McWuss…..where's he gone off too?" She asked.

"Oh, he said he needed to acclimate himself, so he went to stand on the observation deck." Rose informed them.

"Well that sounds like a load of bull." Amanda scoffed.

After a moment, the lift dinged to indicate that they'd reached their destination and when the doors finally slid open, they were met with a gust of frigid air and the sight of a room that looked like it belonged in a sci-fi horror flick.

"The walls are not made of gold." The Doctor pointed out as they stepped out of the elevator.

"Is it weird that I would have been disappointed if they actually were?" Amanda asked rhetorically.

"You should both go back down stairs." The Doctor half suggested, half ordered.

Amanda could sense his unease, but there was no way she would just leave him to fend for himself…..where's the fun in that. She wasn't stupid though. She wasn't going to leave, but she sure as hell wasn't going to wander off on her own either, so there was no worry for him there. Rose on the other hand, hadn't learned that bit yet…..

"Tough." Rose dismissed and walked off like she knew what she was doing.

"Wow, Rose, really?" Amanda sighed in exasperation. "Scary movies 101: The young blond with the confident attitude who goes wandering off on her own is just begging to be the first victim. Shame on you."

"Oh hush." Rose scoffed, moving forwards anyway.

Amanda sighed and rolled her eyes with a slight smirk as she grabbed the Doctor's hand to tug him along. She was starting to regret the sundress now—her arms were freezing. They wandered through the icy rooms filled with random bits of junk and plastic tarps till they reached a sort of main-control center where a man with white, spikey hair was standing—watching a series of screens. There was a line of people there as well, sitting rigidly along the control panels, their eyes completely dull and void of life while their hands gripped the palm-pads to work the computers.

The sight of them caused an electric sort of chill to run up Amanda's spine, making her shiver slightly. The Doctor gripped her hand tighter in reassurance.

"I started without you." The man announced with a small chuckle as he turned to look at them with a genuine smile. "This is fascinating!" He then gestured back to the monitors. "Satellite Five contains every piece of information within the Forth Great and Bountiful Human Empire—birth certificates, shopping habits, bank statements—but you three, you don't exist." He explained with another chuckle. "There's not a trace—no birth, no job, not the slightest kiss."

"It's like the CIA and Facebook got together and had a satellite-baby." Amanda scoffed jokingly.

The man shook his head with a giddy smile as if they were the most exciting thing he'd ever seen—a big secret that he was dying to uncover.

"How can you walk through the world and not leave a single footprint?" He pressed some-what seriously now.

Amanda was about to make another smart-ass comment when Rose distracted her by running forward to someone they knew.

"Suki!" She called out in concern.

The poor girl was just sitting there, unmoving, unresponsive…completely dead to the world as she stared blankly at the screen in front of her while her body accumulated patches of frost and ice. The sight of her caused Amanda's breath to hitch—a tear began to make its way down her cheek and the Doctor almost winced when the grip she had on his hand became painfully tight.

"Hello? Suki, can you hear me? Suki!" Rose asked her, shaking her arm slightly to try and gain her attention. "What have you done to her?" She asked the blond man, worriedly.

She glanced at her two friends and noticed they were starting to look rather upset, which she knew was never a good thing. Whatever the strange man had done, it must have been very bad.

"She's dead." Amanda clarified.

"But, she's working." Rose countered in shocked confusion.

"The chips keep them working." The Doctor explained. "They've all got chips in their heads and the chips keep going."

"They're just puppets now." Amanda reiterated with a mixed look of both disgust and pity on her face.

"Ooohh! You two are full of information!" The blond man commented in cheerful realization before his face became serious again. "But, it's only fair that we get some information back, because, apparently, you're no one." He became cheerful again with another small chuckle. "It's so rare not to know something. Who are you?"

The Doctor replied without skipping a beat. His face set in an unreadable mask.

"It doesn't matter 'cause we're off. Nice to meet you." He then looked to the girls and beckoned them over. "Come on."

They all turned to leave as quickly as they could, but were stopped by the dead, half-frozen workers. Two took hold of each of The Doctor's arms, one wrapped his arms around Amanda from behind and Rose was stopped by Suki who grabbed ahold of her wrist.

"Tell me who you are." The man insisted.

"Well, since that information is keeping us alive, I'm hardly gonna say, am I?" The Doctor countered.

Unfortunately the man was completely undeterred and pressed on anyways, deciding to play hard-ball.

"Well, perhaps my Editor-in-chief can convince you otherwise?" He suggested some-what threateningly.

"Really?" Amanda asked as nonchalantly as she could pretend to be. "And just who might that be?"

The man leaned in conspiratorially, making The Doctor jerk towards them in discomfort at his closeness to her which only made the man smirk even more.

"It just might interest you to know that this is not the Forth Great and Bountiful Human Empire. In fact," he chortled, and then added, "It's not actually human at all! It's merely a place where humans happen to live."

He was suddenly interrupted by the sound of something growling loudly, as if in protest.

"Yeah." The growling continued. "Yep, sorry." He apologized to the creature that was yet to be seen and then turned his attention back to the others. "It is a place where humans are _allowed_ to live by kind permission of my client."

He then snapped his fingers and pointed to the ceiling, prompting them to look up, which they did and were all shocked at what they saw. There, attached to the metal rigging, was a strange looking alien that resembled a giant, slimy wad of used chewing-gum with razor sharp teeth. It snarled at them and snapped its jaws menacingly.

"Wa—what is that?" Rose asked, gob smacked.

Amanda flinched back slightly in disgust.

"You mean that thing's in charge of Satellite Five?" The Doctor wondered incredulously.

"That _thing_, as you put it, is in charge of the human race." The man corrected with hint of smugness. "For almost a hundred years, mankind has been shaped and guided—his knowledge and ambitions strictly controlled by its broadcast news edited by my superior, your master, and humanity's guiding light—the Mighty Jagrafess of the Holy Hadrojassic Maxarodenfoe." He explained, and then added with a cheesy grin, "I call him Max."

"Cute." Amanda commented sarcastically while she and The Doctor mockingly returned grins of their own.

'Max' continued to screech and snarl at them threateningly as the three friends exchanged uneasy looks with one another. They needed a plan, and fast.

The workers were then ordered to put them in electronic manacles to keep them restrained while the blond man continued on with his '_I'm an evil mastermind, Mwa-ha-ha_' speech that all the bad guys seem to be partial too.

"Create a climate of fear, and it's easy to keep the boarders closed. It's just a matter of emphasis. The right word in the right broadcast repeated often enough can destabilize an economy, invent an enemy, change a vote."

"So all the people on Earth are like—slaves?" Rose confirmed in distaste.

"Well, now, there's an interesting point. Is a slave really a slave if he doesn't know he's enslaved?" The man mused.

"Yes." Amanda and The Doctor answered simultaneously.

"Oh! I was hoping for a philosophical debate." He jested in mild disappointment. "Is that all I'm going to get—'_yes_'?"

"Yes." They answered again.

The man chuckled at them sardonically, making the girls roll their eyes in annoyance.

"You're no fun." He pouted.

"Let me out of these manacles. You'll find out how much fun I am." The Doctor prompted threateningly.

"Ooh, he's tough, isn't he?" The man taunted. "But come on. Isn't it a great system? You've got to admire it just a little bit."

"You can't hide something on this scale. Somebody must have noticed." Rose commented.

"They have, Rose." Amanda answered her, gesturing with her head towards the workers.

She looked at them and back to her friend with a look of unease and confusion.

"What do you mean?"

"That's why they were '_promoted_'." She explained with air-quotes. "Am I right?" She asked their captor.

He smirked and leaned in towards her again, gaining the same reaction from The Doctor as before, making him chuckle as he turned to pace leisurely in front of them.

"From time to time, yes, someone does notice, but the computer chip system allows me to see inside their brains. I can see the smallest doubt and crush it." He snarled enthusiastically. "And they just carry on, living the life, strutting around down stairs and all over the surface of the Earth like they're _so_ individual. When of course they're not—they're just cattle." He sneered. "In that respect, the Jagrafess hasn't changed a thing."

Just then, out of the corner of his eye, The Doctor spotted Cathica's reflection on a bit of metal as she crept unnoticed by the others into the far corner of the room. She was clearly trying to listen in.

"What about you? You're not a Jag—a Jagra—Jagrabelly thing." Rose pointed out, though completely stumbling over the pronunciation of the creature's name.

"Jagrafess." Amanda emphasized for her.

"Jagrafess." Rose repeated correctly. "You're not a Jagrafess. You're human."

"Yeah, well, simply being human doesn't pay very well." The man responded snidely.

"God, I hate money." Amanda grumbled in frustration.

"But, you couldn't have done this all on your own." Rose prompted in confusion.

The man laughed mockingly at this with a small shake of his head and then continued to explain in a condescending tone that the girls did not appreciate.

"No! I represent a consortium of banks. Money prefers a long-term investment. Also, The Jagrafess needed a little hand to, um, _install_ himself."

"No wonder—a creature that size." The Doctor noted. "What's its lifespan?"

"Three-thousand years."

Amanda let out a low whistle.

"That's one hell of a metabolism, generating all that heat." The Doctor concluded. "That's why Satellite Five is so hot. You pump it out of the creature, channel it down stairs. The Jagrafess stays cool—stays alive. Satellite Five is one great big life-support system."

"But that's why you're so dangerous." The man mused. "Knowledge is power, but you remain unknown."

He then snapped his fingers, triggering an electrical current to flow painfully through their bodies. Their teeth clenched and their muscles twitched and contracted. A pained scream slipped from Amanda's lips at the sudden and unexpected discomfort. The sensation genuinely frightened her and she just couldn't help but react.

"Who are you?" The man demanded.

Neither of them answered so he gave them an extra jolt. Amanda groaned with her teeth clenched together, trying not to yell out again. The Doctor started to jerk and pull more fiercely at his restraints when he heard her, wanting nothing more than to stop her pain and give their captor a good fist to the jaw.

"Just leave them alone!" The Doctor snapped in desperation. "I'm the Doctor, she's Amanda Winters, and that's Rose Tyler. We're nothing. We're just wondering."

"Tell me who you are?" The man persisted, apparently unsatisfied with his answer.

"He just said." Amanda growled out in annoyance as she tried to catch her breath now that the electrical current had been turned off.

"Yeah, but who do you work for?" He prompted insistently. "Who sent you? Who knows about us? Who exactly ar—"

He suddenly paused and tilted his head towards the computers as if they were telling him something while a smug grin slowly stretched across his face. The Jagrafess growled out in triumph.

"Ah, Time Lord!" The blond man announced in a tone that made it obvious how happy he was for the discovery.

The three companion's eyes went wide in shock at the random outburst.

"What?" The doctor asked.

"Oh, yes!" The man laughed. "The last of the Time Lords and his traveling machine. Oh, and his little human girls—one from long ago and one from nowhere." He reached out and tauntingly stroked Amanda's cheek, making her flinch in disgust.

"We don't know what you're talking about." Amanda retorted.

"Time travel." The man clarified, clearly not buying her attempt at denial.

"Someone's been telling you lies." The Doctor scoffed.

He gave them an 'oh, really' look and snapped his fingers, turning on a nearby monitor that showed a very familiar someone, lying on the broadcast chair from earlier. He was screaming as an electrical current of compressed information streamed into an opening in his head that they knew was not supposed to be there.

"Young Master Adam Mitchel." He clarified.

"Oh, my God, his head!" Rose pointed out in shocked disgust.

Amanda looked on in both fear and revulsion.

"What's he done?" The Doctor demanded in disbelief. "What the hell has he gone and done!"

"They're reading his mind." Amanda snapped angrily. "The stupid bastard's telling them everything!"

"And through him, I know everything about you." The man confirmed smugly. "Every piece of information in his head is now mine. And you have infinite knowledge, Doctor. The Human Empire is tiny in comparison to what you've seen in your T-A-R-D-I-S. Tardis."

"Well you'll never get your hands on it. I'll die first!" The Doctor declared obstinately.

"Die all you like. I don't need ya—I've got the key." The man contended.

The three looked over, horrified at the sight displayed on the screen. A secondary current was acting as a magnet, pulling the TARDIS key from Adams pocket. It dangled there, midair, as if it were mocking them.

"You and your boyfriends!" The Doctor snapped at Rose.

"He is so going down!" Amanda added, completely pissed.

Rose had to admit, she wouldn't mind giving him a good smack the next time they saw him as well. She trusted him and he lied, making her look like an idiot in front of her friends.

"Today, WE are the headlines." The man stated ominously, bringing their attention back to himself. "We can rewrite history. We can prevent mankind from ever developing."

"And no one's going to stop you because you've bred a human race that doesn't bother to ask questions." The Doctor spouted off in disappointment. "Stupid little slaves believing every lie."

Amanda noticed that he was staring at something on the wall and when she followed his gaze, she spotted Cathica's reflection. She realized what he was trying to do. He was trying to provoke something in the woman—to wake up and open her eyes to the lie she's been submersed in. Hoping that she would do something about it.

"They'll just trot right into the slaughterhouse if they're told it's made of gold." Amanda added.

They were both satisfied when Cathica suddenly walked off with a look of determination on her face. Their jabs had been just the prompting she needed.

Not a minute later, a loud beeping alarm went off, catching the blond man's attention. With a look of confusion, he rushed over to the monitors to see what was going on. The Jagrafess growled in distress above them.

"What's happening?" The man asked the workers. "Someone's disengaged the safety." He realized allowed. "Who's that?" He wondered when Cathica appeared on the screen, laying in a broadcasting chair that was surrounded by skeletons.

The Jagrafess continued to snarl in protest.

"It's Cathica!" Rose chirped in excitement.

"She's thinking! She's using what she knows!" The Doctor confirmed in triumph.

"Terminate her access." The man ordered Suki.

They watched as Cathica focused on maintaining her control of the broadcast stream.

"Everything we told her about Satellite Five—the pipes, the filters—she's reversing it."

"Look, the temperature's rising!" Amanda pointed out gleefully, gesturing towards the ceiling where water could be seen, dripping from the icicles. "Everything's starting to melt."

"I said terminate her!" The man repeated more urgently, placing his hands on top of Suki's as if it would help before growling out, "Burn her mind!"

On the screen, they could see that Cathica was fighting with all she had—determined to finish what she'd started.

"Oh no, you don't." She protested, pushing back even harder with her mind. "You should have promoted me years back!"

Suddenly, everything started to spark and shake violently with alarms going off. The blond man was thrown backwards and the all the workers fell over. The energy surge had fried their chips.

The surge was also powerful enough to release Rose from both of her restraints, but it only reached one of Amanda's, leaving both her and The Doctor still trapped.

"She's venting the heat up here." The Doctor explained in a rush, though clearly pleased. "The Jagrafess has to stay cool—now it's on top of a volcano!"

The Jagrafess seemed to realize this as well because he began to thrash about and roar in anger.

"Yes, sir—I'm trying, but….it's impossible—a member of staff with an idea!" The blond man tried to placate him, but was unsuccessful.

While he tried to fix the problem himself, at the computers, Rose was franticly trying to help free her friends.

"Rose, you have to get the sonic from The Doctor's pocket." Amanda directed as calmly as she could.

Rose quickly reached over and jammed her hands into his jacket to look for said device. When she found it, she flicked it about looking both frantic and confused, clearly not knowing how to use it.

"What do I do?" She shrieked.

"Flick the switch!" The Doctor ordered impatiently.

She quickly corrected herself and aimed the screwdriver at his wrist, doing as he said while trying to avoid the bits of debris that had started to fall around them.

"Oi, mate—" The Doctor called out mockingly to the Jagrafess, "Do you want to bank on a certainty? Massive heat in a massive body—big bang!"

As soon as he was free, he snatched the sonic from Rose's hands and quickly set about to do the same for Amanda.

"See you in the headlines!" She taunted them as she took hold of The Doctor's hand to pull him away—the two of them laughing while they ran.

They quickly caught up to Rose and the three of them went in search of Cathica so they could all get out as safely as possible. The woman had pretty much just saved all of humanity—there was no way they would leave her behind. There was a near mishap with a falling beam, but they eventually made it to the room she'd snuck off to, unharmed.

When they reached her, most of the chaos had calmed down and she looked as if she was in a peaceful sleep, save for the beam of electricity connecting to her exposed brain. The Doctor snapped his fingers to trigger the closing mechanism to release her.

Her eyes fluttered open slowly, showing just how weak the whole process had made her, to see The Doctor smiling softly down at her in appreciation.

"You did it, Cathica!" Amanda chirped with a bright smile as she pulled the woman into a comforting hug. "We're so proud of you!"

She smiled gratefully back at them as they helped her out of the chair so they could all start to make their way back down to floor one hundred-thirty-nine. When they got there, Rose helped her to sit down and rest. The Doctor sat down across from her while both Amanda and Rose stood to either side of him, allowing Cathica to catch her breath and get her bearings back in order.

"We're just gonna go." The Doctor informed her when she seemed okay again.

"He hates tidying up." Amanda teased him with an impish smirk, bumping his shoulder with her hip.

"Too many questions." He defended, and then added reassuringly to Cathica, "You'll manage."

"You'll have to stay and explain it—" She protested. "—nobody's going to believe me."

"Oh, they might start believing a lot of things, now." He assured her. "The human race should accelerate—all back to normal."

"What about your friend?" She asked, nodding her head towards Adam who was waiting for them by the TARDIS, looking as though he hadn't a care in the world.

"He's not our friend." Amanda replied in an eerily calm voice.

Cathica wasn't fooled by the façade, though. She could see the fury hidden in her eyes… a feeling The Doctor seemed to share. The boy was clearly in for it when they decided to leave.

Rose could sense it too. So when her friends turned to stalk their way back to the ship, she tried her best not to freak out, not entirely sure what they would do seeing as Adam nearly screwed over all of time and space and put their lives in danger.

"Now, don't…." She tried to hold them off a bit.

They weren't listening though.

Adam saw the looks on their faces as they approached and quickly tried to weasel his way out of trouble by trying to brush the whole thing off.

"I'm alright now, much better…..and I've got the key…look, see…" He assured them with an innocent smile, chuckling lightly as he held out the chain for one of them to take. "It all worked out for the best, didn't it?"

The Doctor roughly took hold of Adam's arm and pulled him towards the doors while Amanda unlocked it. Neither of them even bothered to acknowledge that he'd even spoken. Adam was starting to actually worry for himself at their complete lack of response or emotion and tried to switch tactics.

"You know, it's not actually my fault because you were in charge…." He argued to The Doctor.

"Wrong move, Adam." Amanda clipped in response as she opened the door.

The Doctor shoved him into the jump-seat where Rose designated herself as watchman while Amanda helped The Doctor set the new coordinates. Once they'd landed, The Doctor grabbed him up and shoved him out the door. They all followed him out into what appeared to be a living room, not ready to leave just yet. The Doctor had one last thing to take care of and Amanda had a promise she intended to keep.

"It's my house, I'm home." Adam laughed in surprised relief once he'd recognized their surroundings. "Oh, my God, I'm home! Blimey! I thought you were going to chuck me out of an airlock…."

"I was out-voted." Amanda grumbled in annoyance.

Rose gasped having heard the quiet comment and thwacked her on the shoulder in reprimand.

"Is there something else you want to tell me?" The Doctor prompted him.

"No. What do you mean?" Adam replied nervously, trying to act nonchalant.

The Doctor walked over and picked up the voice-machine that was sitting on a nearby table.

"The archive of Satellite Five. One second of that message could have changed the world." The Doctor admonished before setting it back down and aiming the sonic screwdriver at it, causing it to spark and explode.

Adam groaned at the damage but knew better than to object.

"That's it, then. See ya." The Doctor tossed out as he casually made his way back to The TARDIS, mission accomplished.

He and Amanda were ready to get as far away from him as possible.

"How do you mean, see ya?" Adam asked in shocked confusion.

"As in goodbye." The Doctor reiterated.

"Forever." Amanda tagged on.

"What about me? You can't just go!" Adam protested. "I have a chip type two. My head opens!"

"What? You mean like this?" The doctor asked while snapping his fingers, causing the doorway-mechanism in Adams head to do just as he said.

"Don't." Adam snapped, clicking his own fingers to seal it back up.

"Don't do what?" Amanda taunted innocently, snapping her fingers to reopen it.

"Stop it!" He huffed in annoyance, clicking his fingers again to close it.

"Alright now, guys, that's enough. Stop it." Rose chastised, jumping in to keep the peace.

"Thank you." Adam nodded to her in smug gratitude.

Rose then clicked her fingers together, unable to help herself. She quickly waived away Amanda's snickering and apologized.

"Sorry, I couldn't resist." She chuckled.

"The whole of history could have changed because of you." The Doctor accused in a serious tone, snapping the girls back to attention.

"I was just trying to help." Adam insisted.

"You were helping yourself." The Doctor countered.

"I'm sorry, and I've said I'm sorry, and I am, I really am." He tried pleadingly. "But you can't just leave me like this."

"Yes I can." The Doctor corrected. " 'Cause if you show that head to anybody, they'll dissect you in seconds. You'll have to lead a very quiet life. Keep out of trouble. Be average. Good luck."

"But, I want to come with you." Adam pleaded.

"I only take the best. I've got Amanda and Rose."

And with that said, The Doctor turned around dismissively and walked into the TARDIS. Amanda turned to Adam next with an almost evil look on her face. He flinched back slightly but stubbornly held his ground, which in retrospect was probably a bad idea on his part.

"Oh, and one more thing, Adam…." She cooed before promptly kicking him as hard as she could, right between the legs.

She sighed in satisfaction at a job well done and turned to enter the TARDIS without a second glance.

"That should earn him a 'Living' Darwin Award." Amanda commented to The Doctor with an impish smirk that he returned.

Rose watched with shocked eyes as Adam crumpled to the floor, emitting the oddest squeaking groans she'd ever heard from a man. Her friend really wasn't joking around when she'd made that promise and Rose made a note never to forget it. As badly as she felt for the guy, she couldn't help but be somewhat impressed at her friend's actions. The girl clearly had very powerful legs. Looking down at Adams pathetic form, squirming about on the carpet, she couldn't seem to remember what she'd ever saw in him in the first place.

At the sound of the front door being unlocked, she knew that was her cue to skedaddle. She vaguely heard the sound of Adam insisting to his mother not to come in yet as she closed the doors behind herself, giving a tired sigh and leaned back against them.

"Sooo, I don't suppose we could rest a bit before we get off into any more shenanigans?" Rose asked hopefully.

"I don't see why not." The Doctor replied with a comforting smile. "I'll just set us to drift in space for a bit."

"Thanks." She sighed in relief. "Well, I'm off to shower…see you two later." She called out over her shoulder as she made her way up the stairs.

"Have fun!" Amanda called after her, smiling at the sound of the girl's laughter echoing back through the hallway.

The Doctor left a bit later as well, claiming he had to check on something which left Amanda alone in the console room to do as she pleased.

When he came back about twenty minutes later, he saw that the TARDIS doors were wide open with Amanda sitting on the edge, letting her legs dangle in space while she gazed out at the stars. He stood there for a moment, just admiring the serine expression on her face and the way her silhouette looked against the starlight.

He was snapped out of it by the sound of her patting the space to her right, indicating for him to join her. She must have sensed his presence for she did so without even having looked back to where he'd been standing. He gladly did so, sitting down with his left knee scrunched up for his arm to rest on and leaving his right leg to dangle outside like hers. He then shifted to lean his back against the doorframe to give her his full attention.

"What's on your mind?" He asked her soothingly.

She sighed, but kept her gaze on the stars.

"I suppose I'm just a bit sad…..shaken…and maybe a bit frustrated because of it as well." She replied in a tone that reflected her melancholy.

"Why's that?" He prompted.

"That session of shock therapy we received earlier and….well….Suki…" She admitted, though a bit reluctantly. "I just knew—I had a feeling— and with everything that's been happening lately since I've been getting these strange hints of things to come more frequently, but not knowing how to use them properly….I just—"

The Doctor scrunched his face with a sigh, about to cut her off, but she wasn't having that.

"I know, I know. I shouldn't let it get to me." She huffed, but then added softly, "You know….you should really try taking your own advice some times, Doctor."

He made as if he were about to deny whatever he'd thought she was referring to, but she cut him off again.

"Don't even try it Mister. I lost my memory not my observational skills and common sense." She scoffed good-naturedly. "I see you. The way you carry yourself on our adventures, how you brush things off like they're no big deal, the random looks of guilt and sorrow when you think no one's watching, the way you take charge of everything, the way your shoulders tense-up sometimes as if you're carrying the weight of the universe on your shoulders. I see you, Doctor." She turned to look him in the eyes. "You can try all you like to hide your troubles from everyone else, but not from me. You may not realize it but your eyes are like an open book—it's all right there, calling out, but you insist on keeping everything to yourself." She took his hand and her gaze softened. "I see you…and I'm not going anywhere."

He stared back at her for a moment longer before he lost his nerve and turned to gaze out at the stars with a sigh. They shared a bit of a companionable silence until the Doctor was jolted out of his thoughts by Amanda's movements. She shifted his leg that was still in The TARDIS back a bit so she could copy his position and leaned back against his chest, pulling his arms around her in a hug as she relaxed against him. She breathed out a sigh in contentment before she spoke again.

"Sing for me, Doctor." She requested.

"I'm not really—" He tried to brush off.

"Please?" She insisted.

He relented with a sigh of defeat, unable to fight her request when he heard just how tired she was. The way she was relaxed so comfortably in his arms….it stirred up feelings he hadn't felt in a very long time…..he couldn't help but want her to be happy….to be the one that made her happy…

"Alright, what would you like to hear, then?" He asked.

"Surprise me." She prompted.

He could hear the smile in her voice and that gave him an idea.

"Do you know Charlie Chaplin?" He probed.

"Not personally like you probably do, but sort of, yeah." She replied.

"Ah, good ol' Charlie." He chuckled. "The man's a comic genius—I'll have to introduce you sometime."

"I'd like that." She agreed.

After a slight pause, The Doctor cleared his throat and began to sing in a soft alto. Amanda couldn't help the soft laugh that escaped her lips at the song he'd chosen—It was perfect. She pulled his arms about her a bit tighter and snuggled closer to him, placing her ear to his chest. His heartbeats were like a soothing melody in the background. She closed her eyes and smiled.

"Smile, though your heart is aching,

Smile, even though it's breaking.

When there are clouds in the sky,

You'll get by.

Smile, through your pain and sorrow,

Smile, and maybe tomorrow

You'll see the sun come shining through

For you."

This was how Rose found them when she came looking for them. She stood as quietly as she could at the top of the stairs, just observing the two of them together since neither of them seemed to notice her presence—as if they were the only two in existence. The two of them together…..it just looked….right. As she tiptoed back into the hallway to give them their moment, with the sound of The Doctor's voice still drifting in her ears, her suspicions were solidified. Weather they realized it themselves yet or not, they were meant to be together and as their friend, she would make sure that it happened.

"Light up your face with gladness,

Hide every trace of sadness.

Although a tear may be ever so near

That's the time you must keep on trying,

Smile, what's the use of crying.

You'll find that life is still worthwhile—If you just smile."

*****And there we have it! Sorry to those of you who aren't fans of fluffy stuff, but I figured, after all that crazy stuff and the anger…it would be nice to let them end the day on a lighter note. Also, it was a way to sneak in a chance for the two of them to get a little closer!**

****And now for the funny note I promised you! It's something my best friend (and beta) pointed out to me! So, for those of you who didn't already know…..****The creators of Rugrats (an older American cartoon) were huge Dr. Who fans? Tommy is like the Doctor, goes on adventures with his screwdriver. There are Daleks hidden in the original episodes :P "The more you know" Haha! I always knew there was a reason I liked that show!**


	9. Cause And Affect

**********Hello all! Sorry for the long wait, but here's another update for you! I'd like to thank all of you that reviewed…you all light up my life! Also, Don't forget to check out picture links on my profile (her outfit for this chapter has been posted!).**

******* Just a quick announcement…I want to send out major props and thank you(s) to **_grapejuice101. _**Because of this amazing fan, I now have a super awesome tribute-poster for this story and you should all check it out! The link is on my profile page!**

**Impossible or Just Highly Unlikely**

_(Cause And Affect) _

*****TARDIS/Console Room/The Next Day*****

The Doctor was sprawled out on the floor underneath the console with his sonic screwdriver. He was fiddling with random bits of the circuitry while Amanda sat next to him so she could observe and occasionally hand him tools when he asked for them. It was nice to know that they were both so comfortable around each other that they didn't even need to speak. As she watched him, she thought about the moment they'd shared together the night before.

She had been disappointed when she'd woken up that morning in her room, not remembering how she'd got there. She'd even thought for a while as she was getting ready for the day, dressing in a purple, lacey tank-top; blue jeans; and a black cardigan—that it might have been just a dream.

When she walked out into the console room later on, she couldn't help but smile hearing the Doctor unconsciously humming the tune that he'd chosen to sing for her while he set up the toolbox. She then blushed as she realized that she must have fallen asleep in his arms which meant that he most likely carried her to her room and put her to bed. This also explained why she'd woken up still completely dressed—minus her shoes.

They were both brought out of their own little worlds when Rose came bustling in with a look of uncertainty on her face. She clearly wanted to ask them something but either wasn't sure how or whether she even should bother in the first place.

"What's up, hun?" Amanda asked her curiously.

"I'd like to make a request…if I can." She replied timidly.

"Alright….." The Doctor prompted her.

"Peter Alan Tyler, my dad." She blurted out.

"What about him?" Amanda pressed.

Rose paused for a moment to gather her nerves, giving The Doctor enough time to move over to the jump-seat so he could give her his full attention. Rose leaned herself against the console and Amanda sat on the hand-rail next to the Doctor's seat. After letting out a sigh, Rose decided it would be best to just get it over with, letting it all just tumble out.

"He's the most wonderful man in the world—Born 15th September, 1954." She started, looking wistful but with a hint of melancholy in her voice. "I wasn't old enough to remember him when he died in 1987, the 7th of November. It was a day some friends of my mum were getting married." She paused again and looked to the two of them with a small smile on her face. "She said he was always having adventures and she's always going on about how he would have loved to have seen me now…you know…all grown." Her smile disappeared and she became somewhat timid again. "So I was thinking, could we? Could we go and see my dad while he was still alive?"

Amanda and The Doctor exchanged a look of apprehensive, curiosity.

"Where's this come from all of a sudden?" The Doctor questioned with an arch of his eyebrow.

"All right," She brushed off somewhat defensively, thinking they were telling her, no. "If we can't, if it goes against the laws of time or something, then never mind, just leave it."

"No, I can do anything." The Doctor assured her. "I'm just more worried about you."

"I want to see him." She insisted.

The Doctor gave it a few seconds thought before he conceded, all be it a bit hesitantly.

"Then your wish is my command."

"Just be careful what you wish for, Rose." Amanda added in warning.

The Doctor hopped up and moved over to the controls to start putting in the proper date and location.

"When would you like to see him then? Where are we headed?" He asked her.

"Um…" Rose muttered in thought, unsure of what day to choose.

"Might I suggest something cheerful, given the circumstances?" Amanda tossed out.

Rose mulled over the idea for a bit before one particular moment popped into her head, bringing a small smile to her face. It was something she'd always wondered about seeing and it looked like now would be the perfect opportunity.

*****30 Minutes Later*****

The trio ended up going to see her parent's wedding. Amanda had nearly laughed out loud when they'd found a place to sit.

"It figures your mom would wear pink to her own wedding." She snickered in amusement, but quieted down when Rose jabbed her with her elbow, warning her to 'shush'.

Rose's attention was completely focused, trying to commit every detail to memory. She found it all to be rather surreal and she was loving every minute of it. But, as focused as she was on her parents, the sight of Amanda and The Doctor holding hands out of the corner of her eye did not go unnoticed. She let a small, knowing smirk creep across her lips as she turned her attention back to the front of the room.

"I, Peter Alan Tyler, take you, Jacqueline Andrea Suzette Prentice..." The Minister read aloud.

"I, Peter Alan Tyler, take you, Jacqueline Susann, Suzette," her father started to repeat, but fudged up a bit, turning it into a question, "Anita?"

He looked to Jackie apologetically and then back up to the minister in embarrassment, about to ask him to say it all again, but Jackie went ahead and saved him the trouble.

"Oh, just carry on." She sighed in frustration. "It's good enough for Lady Di."

Both The Doctor and Amanda had matching silly grins on their faces when she said that. They had only met Jackie for a few moments before, but they could tell by her personality, that that comment was just so _her_. Amanda looked over to Rose, expecting to exchange a few small giggles about it, only to frown at the look of slightly confused disappointment on the girl's face.

"What's wrong?" She prompted, catching The Doctor's attention as well.

"I thought he'd be taller." Rose replied somewhat distractedly.

Amanda glanced back to The Doctor with a look of pity for their friend. He gave her hand a squeeze before she lifted her other arm up to wrap around Rose's shoulder, pulling her closer in reassurance.

"…To be my lawful wedded wife. To love and behold till death us do part..." The minister continued.

*****After The Wedding/Back In The TARDIS*****

"Mum said he'd died so close to home." Rose told them with a sigh, still musing over thoughts of her father. "She wasn't there when it happened—no one was. It was a hit and run driver."

"Oh, how awful. I'm so sorry, sweetheart." Amanda commented sadly, giving her a comforting side-hug. "Accidents like that….they're not fair."

"They never found out who it was." Rose continued. "He was dead when the ambulance got there. She always says how she wishes that someone was there for him." She looked up at them pleadingly. "I want to be that someone. So he doesn't have to die alone."

Amanda dropped her arms in surprise.

"I really don't think that's a good idea, Rose. Watching your father get hit and then letting him die in your arms—it would be cruel. Do you really think you could handle something like that?" She tried to discourage her.

Amanda couldn't believe that Rose had actually asked. To witness something as horrible as the death of a family member—to be so close and unable to do anything to save them….it would be hard for anyone. She couldn't even imagine it herself and would never wish it on anybody.

"Please?" Rose insisted.

The Doctor reluctantly consented and turned towards the controls. He understood what Amanda was feeling—her thoughts—for his were much the same. But, he could see the look of determination on Rose's face and knew that they wouldn't be able to talk her against the idea.

"November 7th?" He questioned.

"1987." Rose added with a nod of her head in confirmation.

Once they'd landed, Rose immediately walked straight to the doors, hesitating only a second before she stepped out. The look on her face implied that the surroundings that she saw were not what she was expecting.

"It's so weird—the day my father died. I thought it'd be all sort of grim and stormy…." Rose commented in muddled disenchantment, "It's just an ordinary day."

"The past is another country." The Doctor cited as if he were quoting something in a sort of nostalgia. "1987 is just the Isle of Wight."

"Are you sure about this, R—" Amanda tried to ask.

"Yeah." Rose cut her off in determination.

"Right, then—off we go." Amanda responded with a sad smile and took Rose's hand in support.

They walked down the road a ways, making a few twists and turns before Rose started to slow down.

"This is it. Jordan Road." She pointed out as they stopped along the corresponding street corner. "He was late." She started—providing the moment with a sort of commentary. "He'd been to get a wedding present, a vase. Mum always said 'that stupid vase'." She chuckled humorlessly, as if trying to hide that she wanted to cry. "He got out of his car…" They all looked up to see a small green car come around the corner and pull up to the curb. "And crossed the road…" Pete Tyler climbed out of his vehicle getting ready to do just as she'd said. "Oh, God, this is it." She squirmed at the tension and Amanda squeezed her hand tighter in reassurance as the other car came speeding around the corner.

Pete didn't look up until it was too late. At the last second, Amanda turned her head into The Doctor's shoulder. Rose followed suit, turning her head into Amanda's. Both girls flinched at the sound of the loud, crunch and the shattering of porcelain. When they looked back up, the speeding car was screeching around another corner and Pete Tyler was sprawled out helplessly on the pavement, surrounded by shards of the broken vase. They could hear a faint groan escape his lips.

"Go to him." The Doctor prompted Rose. "Quick."

For a second, it looked like she was about to approach him, but instead, she turned and ran down the sidewalk. She ran as fast as she could to get away from the horrible scene while the others chased after her in concern.

They finally caught up to her when she rounded a corner into an alleyway and pressed her back against the wall, breathing heavily. Amanda wrapped her arms around her friend and let her cry on her shoulder as she whispered soothing words of comfort to her as best as she could. When Rose calmed down, they all just stood there for a moment in silence to let her collect herself. They could hear the sound of sirens in the distance.

"It's too late now." Rose whimpered. "By the time the ambulance got there, he was dead." She paused, taking a deep breath, and then looked back up at them pleadingly. "He can't die on his own."

"Sweetheart—" Amanda tried soothingly, but Rose jumped back in before she could get another word out.

"Can I try again?" She questioned.

"Rose—" Amanda tried to discourage her only to be cut-off again.

"Please." Rose begged.

The Doctor sighed and led them reluctantly back to the TARDIS for another go. As he fiddled with the controls, Amanda approached him and rested a hand on his arm.

"Are you sure about this, Doctor?" She whispered in apprehension. "I have a really bad _feeling_ about this."

They looked at each other and then glance over to the jump-seat where Rose sat, deep in thought, looking dejected. The Doctor looked back at Amanda before he flicked the last switch, landing the ship.

"This is it." He whispered back. "I promise."

Amanda bit her bottom lip and closed her eyes in defeat, giving him a small nod of her head in agreement. He squeezed her hand as they followed Rose out the door. He wouldn't admit it out loud, but as he led them to a nearby alleyway to wait for Rose's second chance, out of sight of their past selves…..he didn't feel too well about the situation either. He just hoped that he and Amanda were wrong and everything would work out okay.

"Right, that's the first us." He started to explain to Rose as they carefully peeked around the corner. "It's a very bad idea," he emphasized, "two sets of us being here at the same time. Just be careful that they don't see us. Wait till she runs off," he indicated to Rose's past self, "and they follow," he indicated to himself and Amanda, "then go to your dad."

They watched for a second time as Pete pulled up to the curb and walked around to retrieve the vase.

"I can't do this." Rose gasped in apprehension.

"You don't have to do anything you don't want to, sweetheart." Amanda offered in reassurance.

"But this is the last time we can be here." The Doctor warned her.

Rose flinched in hesitation, but then suddenly leapt away from her friends to run franticly towards her father's car.

"ROSE, NO!" Both Amanda and the Doctor shouted simultaneously with matching looks of fear on their faces.

They watched in horror as Rose knocked her father out of harm's way at the last second. She tackled him to the ground, saving both him and surprisingly, the vase as well. When their past selves disappeared in a golden shimmer, undone from existence, they squeezed each other's hands tighter and their facial expressions became blank. Their jaws were set as they tried very hard to keep their anger at bay, not wanting to alarm Pete, seeing as it wasn't his fault. When they reached them, the Doctor crossed his arms and Amanda shoved her hands into her pockets. They could vaguely hear Rose talking to Pete about Sarah Clark's wedding.

"Do you two and your boyfriend need a ride?" Pete offered, indicating to Amanda and the Doctor.

Rose saw Amanda bristle slightly at the titling he'd given, implying that she and the Doctor were together instead of Amanda. She could see the shock and disappointment in their eyes but she was too happy with herself for saving her father to properly register the trouble she was in.

"Yeah!" She agreed in acceptance. "Yeah, that would be great."

"Alright then, follow me; I just have to make a quick stop at my flat." He directed.

Rose turned to trail after him, chancing a quick glance over her shoulder to see that her friends were following as well. She let out a sigh in relief. For a moment there, she thought that they would try and drag her kicking and screaming, back to the TARDIS.

Amanda and the Doctor had yet to speak a word when they'd all reached the flat. Pete was completely unaware of the tension between the three as he let them inside.

"Right, there we go, sorry about the mess." He apologized as he led them into the main room. "If you want a cup of tea, kitchen's down there, milk's in the fridge." He offered and then scoffed at himself. "Well, it would be, wouldn't it? Where else would you put the milk? Mind you, there's always the windowsill, outside." He began to ramble. "I always thought that if somebody invented a windowsill with special compartments, you know, one for milk, one for yoghurt, you could make a lot of money out of that. Sell it to students and things…." He trailed off in thought.

Amanda and the Doctor couldn't help the small smiles that crept their way across their faces at the man's musings, but just as soon as they appeared, their faces became blank again. Rose, though, had a grin as wide as the Cheshire cat the whole time as if she were conversing with the most brilliantly interesting man in the world.

"….I should write that down." He pondered to himself before snapping out of it and back to the task at hand. "Anyways, never mind that. Excuse me, I've got to go and change." He mumbled as he brushed past them, leaving them to fend for themselves.

Rose wandered into the dining room to examine the odds and ends that were scattered about. She was trying to ignore the way her friends were looking at her, still so silent—she just wanted to enjoy the moment for as long as she could.

"All the stuff Mum kept. His stuff." She commented with an adoring wistfulness in her voice, gesturing to the random pictures and trophies throughout the room. "She kept it all packed away in boxes in the cupboard. She used to show me when she'd had a bit to drink." She chuckled softly and turned to look at them meaningfully. "Here it is, on display. Where it should be." When they still showed no sign of their faces or stances changing, she quickly picked up one of the trophies and flashed it to them with cheerful grin as if to try and brush away the tension. "Third prize at the bowling. First two got to go to Didcot." She then knelt down next to a stack of bottles and jugs filled with oddly colored liquids. "Health drinks! _Tonics_ Mum used to call them. He made his money selling this Vitex stuff. He had all sorts of jobs—he was so clever." She explained before she noticed a set of blueprints on the table that made her extremely giddy. "Solar power. Mum said he was going to do this. Now he can."

When she looked back at them, their scowls only seemed to deepen, showing that they weren't even remotely impressed. In fact, Amanda looked somewhat ill. Rose remembered a comment that Pete had made and thought that she knew what was bothering her so much.

"Okay, look, I was going to tell him that The Doctor's not my boyfriend, I promise. I just got distracted. As soon as he comes b—"

"You really don't get it, do you, Rose?" Amanda scoffed with a frustrated sigh.

"When we met I said, 'Travel with us in space'. You said, 'no'." The Doctor joined in accusingly. "Then Amanda said, 'Time machine'..."

"It wasn't some big plan." Rose tried to explain in her own defense. "I just saw it happening, and I thought, '_I can stop it_'."

Amanda huffed in annoyance and shook her head while the Doctor seemed to hunch his shoulders in defeat, as if he should have expected something like this to happen.

"I did it again." He sighed. "I picked another stupid ape. I should have known." He sneered in complaint. "It's not about showing you the universe. It never is. It's about the universe doing something for you."

Amanda wrapped one of her arms around the Doctor's in a sort of side-hug and placed her other hand on his chest to rub soothing circles. She didn't take offence at his comment, because she knew that, subconsciously, neither of them really counted her among the rest of the humans anyways.

"It's not your fault, Doctor." She tried to assure him. "I wanted her to come too. Besides…I told you I had a bad feeling about this trip—I should have insisted against it more strongly. I should have moved quicker and tried to grab her before she ran out. I'm sorry." She apologized.

"No." He countered, placing his hand over hers and giving it a squeeze. "I'm in charge. It was my decision—I should have left it alone after the first attempt."

Rose was looking at them feeling affronted. They had started speaking to each other as if she weren't even there—like she was somehow the bad guy.

"Hold on!" she snapped in confusion. "So it's okay when you two go to other times and _you_ save people's lives, but not when it's me saving my dad? And you even said so yourself, Amanda—It isn't fair that he was supposed to die."

"I know what I'm doing, you don't," The Doctor responded angrily, "and Amanda's smart enough not to meddle unless I've told her it's okay to do so. She understands the rules and the consequences of breaking them, so don't go twisting her words around. She wasn't implying that you should try and save him and you know it."

As if to prove his comment, Amanda jumped in to clarify.

"I tried to talk you out of going there since the moment you suggested it, but you just refused to listen, Rose. Two sets of us being there made that a vulnerable point." She explained. "He emphasized that when he told you not to let our past selves see us. Did you think he was just being flippant for dramatics sake?"

"But he's alive!" Rose dismissed emphatically, clearly not grasping the concept of what she'd done wrong.

"Damn it, Rose!" Amanda barked in frustration, almost hysterical. "The Doctor's entire planet died—his whole family, all of his friends. Do you honestly think that it never occurred to him to go back and try to save them?!"

The Doctor squeezed her hand a bit tighter.

"But it's not like I've changed history." Rose tried to argue. "Not much."

"Tell that to the person who was supposed to have patented solar power but now won't get the chance to do so. What about their future?" Amanda scoffed.

"Well that's no big deal." Rose countered in defiance. "I mean, it's not like my dad is ever going to become a world leader or something. He's not going to start World War III."

"Rose, there's a man alive in the world who wasn't alive before." The Doctor tried to drill into her head. "An ordinary man. That's the most important thing in creation. The whole world's different because he's alive."

"What, would you rather him dead?" Rose challenged.

"Don't you dare ask such a question, Rose." Amanda bit out angrily, with her face looking eerily calm. "He's not saying that and neither am I. After that whole fiasco with Adam, I just can't believe you would do something like this. I tried to warn you, tried to discourage you, but you just wouldn't listen." She turned to look up at the Doctor. "I'm sorry." She sighed with a shake of her head. "I feel a bit ill, my head hurts, and I just can't even look at her right now. I'll be spending the rest of this trip in the TARDIS. I'll be in my room if you need me." Amanda then turned to walk away without noticing the concerned look the Doctor was giving her, but just before she left, she paused and called back to Rose over her shoulder, not even bothering to look back. "I'm just so disappointed in you." She added tiredly.

Once the front door had been shut behind her, The Doctor turned back to Rose with a glare.

"Do you really not see what you've done?" He asked her incredulously.

"No I get it!" Rose snapped at him, petulantly. "For once, neither of you are the most important person in my life."

That was it, the last straw.

"Let's see how well you get on without us then." He replied in mock calmness, holding his hand out to her. "Give me the key." He demanded.

Rose looked at him blankly, not fully registering what he was saying.

"The TARDIS key." He snapped, making her jump and quickly reach into her pocket for said item. "If we're so insignificant, then give me it back."

"All right then, I will." She agreed, thinking he was only bluffing, and placed the key into his outstretched hand as he'd prompted.

"Well, you've got what you wanted so that's goodbye, then." He told her before he abruptly turned away to storm out of the flat, hoping to catch Amanda so he could check that she was okay—she really had looked a bit pale when she'd left.

"You don't scare me!" Rose scoffed at his retreating form, following him to the door. "I know how sad you both are. You'll be back in a minute." She challenged. "Or you'll hang around outside of the TARDIS waiting for me. Even if she _is_ upset with me, Amanda would never let you leave me behind. And I'll make you wait a long time!" She shouted at him, almost in tears before she slammed the door behind him.

*****Five Minutes Later*****

The Doctor quickly made his way down the road, headed back towards the TARDIS. When he rounded the final corner he spotted Amanda just outside it. He smiled softly at her back and was about to call out to her when she abruptly fell to her knees and started yacking into the bushes. His smile turned into a concerned frown as he rushed over to hold her hair back.

"What's wrong?" He asked her with a twinge of worry in his voice. "Are you okay?"

For as long as he'd known her, she'd never once been this sick before.

"I don't know." She gasped before spitting the remaining bile out as best she could, and taking deep breaths. "Everything just feels off, even the air tastes funny. My head's been throbbing ever since our past selves disappeared." She groaned as she tried to stand back up, only to turn back around to hurl again. "God, it's like—what was that phrase, Adam used…..'time-sick'…..it feels like I'm time-sick." She explained, giving one last dry-heave.

"Damn it, Rose!" The Doctor mumbled to himself.

He knew something was wrong; he felt it himself— like time was out of sync. He sighed in frustration and leaned down to help Amanda get back on her feet, supporting her till she regained her balance.

"Let's get you back into the TARDIS and see what we can do." He offered soothingly.

"Okay." She agreed somewhat tiredly as she reached out to put her key in the lock.

The Doctor opened the doors for her but once they caught sight of what was inside—or rather what wasn't, they both nearly fell backwards in shock. The inside of the time-ship was gone, replaced with three ordinary wooden walls. The Police Box was really now just…..a box.

"What?!" Amanda asked in worried confusion.

The Doctor stepped inside to feel the walls for himself. He knocked his hands against them to test how solid they were.

"Doctor, please tell me it's a trick." Amanda demanded in disbelief. "I'm just hallucinating because I'm sick, right?"

"No…they're….the TARDIS is…." The Doctor stammered in shock before something else donned on him. "Rose!"

Amanda snapped to attention at that realization as well. Though she and the Doctor were upset with Rose, the girl could be in danger. They had to make sure she was okay. The Doctor grabbed Amanda's hand and the two of them quickly rushed back in the direction towards the church that Rose had mentioned earlier on. Once they'd finally rounded the last corner, they were able to spot her not to far off.

"Rose!" Amanda shouted franticly, trying to get her attention.

When Rose turned around she had a smug grin on her face thinking that her friends had finally come to their senses, but her grin turned into a confused frown at how worried they looked.

"Get in the church!" The Doctor ordered just before he spotted a creature appearing in mid-air, off to the sided from seemingly nowhere.

Rose followed his gaze just in time to see that the creature was headed straight for her. She let out a piercing scream, but was luckily shoved to the ground at the last second by the Doctor as Amanda continued forward to try and start ushering the other people out of harm's way as well.

"Get in the church!" She shouted at them—pushing and guiding people to get them moving in the right direction.

When they all started to run through the gates, they were forced to pause as more of the strange creatures appeared, screeching at them and clicking their scythe like pincers. They were huge buggers that resembled something crossed between a bat, a lizard, and a praying mantis, with a gaping mouth in the center of their chests that were filled with rows of razor-sharp teeth.

"Oh, my God! What are they?" One of the women gasped in hysteria. "What are they?!"

At the sound of all the commotion, some of the people inside the church started to crowd around the doors as if they were about to come out and investigate.

"No, stay inside!" Amanda ordered them.

When one of the creatures moved forward slightly as if it were about to attack, a man they could only assume was the groom, made as if he were about to try and rush out to his bride's rescue.

"Sarah!" He called out desperately to her.

"Stay in there!" The Doctor warned urgently, causing the man as well as the other guests to stay reluctantly where they were.

Unfortunately, though, the man's shouts were enough to distract the creature, causing it to turn towards the people at the doors. It flew at them, forcing them to scatter a bit. An older man who'd run off in the wrong direction was immediately snatched up and devoured before their very eyes—his screams were sickening.

Then, in a moment of panic, the bride, Sarah, ran forward to try and make it to the man who'd called out to her. Half way up the walkway, she was stopped by one of the creatures, blocking her escape. She let out a loud shriek in fright before the creature seemed to abruptly change its mind and attacked the priest instead.

The Doctor took the chance while the creatures were feasting to quickly move everyone into the stone church where Amanda then helped him to slam the large wooden doors closed behind them. Now that she'd used up most of her adrenaline, she couldn't help but slide down to the floor to rest with her eyes closed and her breathing rather heavy. The Doctor spared her a quick glance in apprehension before he turned back to the panicking crowd.

"They can't get in." He assured them. "Old windows and doors. Okay. The older something is, the stronger it is." He added in explanation. "What else?"

The creatures screech loudly outside one of the windows, causing everyone to jump slightly, but they were still safe for the moment.

"Go and check the other doors." The Doctor ordered them. "Move!" He added when he saw that they weren't getting on task as quickly as he'd have liked.

He then rushed off, about to do the same, before he was cornered by a frantic, Jackie.

"What's happening? What are they? What are they?!" Jackie asked him, clearly starting to freak out a bit.

"There's been an accident in time." He started to reply, trying to brush her off, though unsuccessfully. "A wound in time—they're like bacteria, taking advantage."

"What do you mean, time?" Jackie scoffed. "What are you jabbering on about? Time?"

The Doctor stopped what he was doing to look down at the irritated, woman.

"I might have known you'd try to argue." He sighed in frustration. "Jackie, I'm sick of you complaining—"

"How do you know my name?" She asked, suspiciously—cutting him off.

"—I don't have time for this—" He grumbled.

"I've never met you in my life." She jumped in again.

"No, and you never will unless I sort this out. Now if you don't mind, I've waited a long time to say this…" He snapped back, and then squared his shoulders to look more intimidating. "Jackie Tyler, do as I say! Go and check the doors."

"Yes, sir." She complied meekly before scuttling off.

"I should have done that ages ago." He bragged to the groom who approached him next.

"My dad was out there." The man started.

"You can morn him later. Right now we've got to concentrate on keeping ourselves alive." The Doctor apologized before trying to move away.

The man stopped him though, and tried again…

"My dad had—"

"There's nothing I can do for him." The Doctor insisted, more forcefully, cutting him off.

The man was persistent, though, and refused to be brushed off, holding out a device that resembled a plastic brick with an antenna.

"No, but he had this phone thing. I can't get it to work." He explained. "I keep getting this voice…." He added, prompting the Doctor to take a listen for himself.

The Doctor took the phone and held it to his ear after pressing a few buttons. A look of excited appreciation appeared on his face when he heard what was on the other line.

"_**Watson, come here. I need you." **_A male voice repeated over and over again.

"That's the very first phone call." He clarified in a somewhat giddy tone. "Alexander Graham Bell." He shoved the device back into the man's hands before adding more seriously, "I don't think the telephone's going to be much use."

"But, someone must have called the police." The man called out insistently to The Doctor's back.

The Doctor had moved off to double check the last door before heading back over to the pews where Amanda had moved herself so she could lie down.

"The police can't help you now. No one can." The Doctor called back as he approached the pew she'd claimed, catching everyone else's attention as well. "Nothing in the universe can harm those things." He addressed the others with a frustrated frown. "Time's been damaged and they've come to sterilize the wound…..by consuming everything in it." He glanced somberly over to Rose, making eye contact so she'd understand just how serious the situation was becoming, before continuing. "This wound in time has also made my friend here, very ill." He gestured to Amanda who now had a light sheen of sweat forming on her forehead, but was thankfully breathing calmly again. "So, if you could all please give me a moment, thank you." He finished sternly before crouching down next to her and effectively leaving the others to their own devices for a bit.

He did a quick scan, running his sonic screwdriver up and down her form.

"It's really not that bad." She assured him tiredly, just as the device, beeped in confirmation. "See?" She smiled smugly as he sighed and bushed her hair behind her ear. "I saw how you handled Jackie a moment ago, by the way…..at least now we know that it's not just taking Rose away that that upset her…..she's just naturally turned off by you." She giggled teasingly.

"Hush, you." He grumbled in mock offence.

"Really though," She sighed with a soft smirk. "I'm proud of you for standing up for yourself. You really showed her what's what and who's who." She commended with a light chuckle.

"Yeah, I did, didn't I?" He bragged in mock smugness, making her chuckle even more which brought a bemused smile to his own face.

That smile fell though as she started to shiver a bit. He helped her to slowly stand up so she could move about and get her blood circulating again to try and warm herself up. He then took off his coat and draped it around her shoulders as well, hoping it would help. She was already wearing a cardigan, but it apparently wasn't enough, so she accepted the extra jacket, gratefully. Amanda couldn't help but smile at the gesture and snuggled into it. It even smelled like him….leather, axel grease, sandalwood, and something else that she couldn't identify, but she knew it was specific to just him. '_Perhaps it's the smell of nine-hundred years of time and space._' She mused to herself.

"What?" The Doctor asked innocently at the sight of the goofy grin that spread across her face.

He had to admit, she did look rather adorable in the oversized thing—only her fingertips managed to escape the sleeves. She just shook her head thoughtfully and leaned up to place a kiss on his cheek, making him blush in confusion.

"What was that for?" He questioned, scrunching up his eyebrows.

"You're fantastic." She replied with a fond smile. "You know that, right?" She added admiringly.

That cheeky grin of his that she loved so much made its way onto his face, turning her smile into a smirk.

Rose, then chose that precise moment to timidly join them, flinching slightly when she noticed how her presence caused their smiles to immediately fade away. Their faces instead became blank as they gave her their full attention.

"Is this because…." She started hesitantly, glancing between the two and then lingering apologetically on Amanda who still looked pale. "…Is this my fault?"

Neither of them felt they could answer, seeing as they still felt somewhat responsible as well for even agreeing to take the trip in the first place. If only she would have just listened to their warnings…..besides the fact that even though they were obviously upset with her….she still hadn't apologized. They could tell that even though she was asking for confirmation, it was only because she wanted to hear them reassure her that she had nothing to do with it and they couldn't do that. So instead, they gave her a grave look and walked away hand-in-hand in the other direction. She paled a bit when she realized what their actions were saying and ducked her head feeling slightly chastised as she moved off on her own to think things over.

None of them seemed to notice that Pete had been crouching nearby, checking on his baby girl who was lying quietly in her carrier. He had witnessed everything that was said and unsaid between the trio. He frowned in confusion with several questions of his own now swimming about in his head and he was determined to discover the truth. '_How the hell was any of this her fault and who the hell are they?_'

*****Fifteen Minutes Later*****

Amanda had been trailing after the Doctor for a while now, helping him out where she could, and only having to leave his side for a short time when she had to rush off to the bathroom to hurl again. Now they were headed to one of the back rooms to double check that the others had sealed the windows properly. When they got there, they saw Rose's father was standing in front of one, looking off into the distance.

"There's smoke coming up from the city, but no sirens." He observed in concern, approaching the window they'd stopped at. "I don't think it's just us. I think these things are all over the place. Maybe the whole world."

Amanda noticed that The Doctor was only half listening. He was more so focusing on something that was happening on the street corner. She looked out the window to try and spot what he had found to be so interesting. Just then, there was a flash of gold energy that resembled the same substance that had erased their past selves. The sight of it made her flinch, but what came out of it only to disappear into another burst of energy after moving a few yards, was strange.

"Was that a car?" Pete questioned in muddled surprised.

"It's not important." The Doctor brushed off before heading back towards the main room.

"Don't worry about it." Amanda assured him with a friendly smile as she moved to follow.

"Who are you two?" He asked suddenly, making her pause.

She turned around to face him with a thoughtful smile.

"I'm Amanda and he's The Doctor." She replied.

"Doctor _who_, though?"

She chuckled at this. It really was a frequently asked question and it always caused a pleasant, tingling sensation to shoot through the back of her mind.

"Just, The Doctor." She clarified.

"And where do you both fit into all of this?" He prompted.

Her smile fell at this question to be replaced by a flash of guilt which then disappeared as well, leaving her face completely blank.

"We were just passing through." She sighed, tiredly. "That's all ways our intention—we're travelers, you see. Just trying to pass through and enjoy the moments, but things don't always go according to plan." She closed her eyes, thinking, for a moment, of their past adventures. "I'm sorry, Pete—we both are. We're so, so sorry. None of this was supposed to happen." She opened her eyes to look back at his own and he could see the sincerity in them. "I promise you, the Doctor _will_ fix it…..it's what he does." She assured him before she turned and walked away in search of said man.

*****With Rose/Church Alcove*****

Rose was standing away from everyone else, trying to sort out her thoughts when Pete approached her. He'd noticed that she was looking rather miserable.

"Those mates of yours." He started hesitantly, not wanting to upset her. "What did they mean, this is your fault?"

"I don't know." She replied dismissively with her eyes starting to water. "Just…everything." She sniffed.

"I gave you my car keys." He pointed out in confused disbelief. "You don't give your keys to a complete stranger. It's like I trusted you. The moment I met you, I just did."

Rose could only stare at him, trying not to cry. It was like she wanted him to figure it all out, who she was. She was hoping for it with all her heart, yet, she was also dreading it at the same time.

"A wound in time." He continued curiously—observing the emotions that flashed across her face. "You called me 'dad'." He hesitated a moment, examining her features. "I can see it." He admitted. "In my eyes….Jackie's attitude. You sound like her when you shout."

He unconsciously lifted his hand to comfortingly swipe her bangs aside, lightly dragging his fingers along her cheek. His hand dropped though, once she'd closed her eyes and started to lean into his touch—Rose was having none of that. She grabbed his hand and brought it back to her face to nuzzle into his palm as a few tears escaped.

"You are." He gasped in stunned recognition. "You are. You're my Rose." He lifted his other hand up to smooth her hair back and then lovingly held her face. "You're my Rose, grown up."

He then, unreservedly, pulled her into a hug as she began to cry. Whether they were tears of joy or sadness or both, she couldn't tell. At the moment, all that mattered was that this was Pete, her father, alive and in her arms.

"Dad!" She muttered into the crook of his neck, pulling him closer. "My dad. My daddy."

*****Back With Amanda & The Doctor/Church Main Room*****

"Excuse me!" The man from before, the groom, chirped a bit worriedly, pulling his bride along with him as he approached them. "Mister…..?" He trailed off questioningly.

"Doctor." Amanda supplied so he could keep working.

He had just flung a big black curtain aside to secure a side door that the others had missed.

"You seem to know what's going on."

"I give that impression, yeah." The Doctor scoffed dismissively as he sonic-ed the edge of the door.

"Though, usually it's on purpose." Amanda chimed in with a bit of a teasing smirk and snickering slightly when the Doctor shot her a mock look of annoyance and a roll of his eyes.

"I just wanted to ask…." The man trailed off hesitantly.

"Can you save us?" His bride jumped in, finishing the question for him.

The Doctor stopped his sonic-ing and stepped up to stand next to Amanda who leaned slightly against him with her arms crossed while he eyed them impassively.

"Who are you two then?" He asked curiously.

"Stuart Hoskins." The man replied.

"Sarah Clark." Answered the woman.

"And one extra." The Doctor commented, glancing down at Sarah's stomach.

"Boy or girl?" Amanda couldn't help but ask, leaning more firmly into him.

There was a soft lilt in her voce that the Doctor had just barely managed to catch, but he'd heard it none the less and responded by wrapping an arm around her shoulder.

"I don't know." Sarah admitted with a sigh, gingerly placing her hands across the base of her tummy. "I don't want to know, really."

"How did all this get started?" The Doctor inquired, gesturing between the scared couple.

Sarah and Stuart looked at each other lovingly at the thought of it.

"Outside the Beatbox Club, 2:00 in the morning." Stuart recalled, looking as though he'd become lost in a memory.

"Street corner," Sarah reiterated with an adoring smile, nearly laughing at the silliness of it, "I'd lost my purse, didn't have money for a taxi."

"I took her home." Stuart finished sheepishly.

Amanda couldn't help but be reminded of those little 'Precious Moments' figurines as she watched them. The way they looked at each other, was just too cute for words.

"Then what?" She prompted. "Did you ask her out?"

The girls shared knowing looks.

"Wrote his number on the back of my hand." Sarah giggled in nostalgia.

"Never got rid of her since." Stuart teased jokingly with a dorky grin. "My dad said…" He trailed off, his smile disappearing as he remembered what had happened and the happy moment was gone.

Poor Sarah looked like she might start crying at any moment when one of the creatures screech just outside the window, making her jump in fright.

"I don't know what this is all about and I know we're not important….." Sarah started, but Amanda jumped in looking confused.

"Who said you're not important?" She questioned seriously.

"I've traveled to all sorts of places, done things you couldn't even imagine." The Doctor joined in. "But, you two…..street corner, 2:00 in the morning, getting a taxi home…" He sighed wistfully. "I've never had a life like that."

Amanda uncrossed her arms to wrap them around the Doctor in a side hug.

"Of course he'll try and save you." She assured them with a soft smile.

The couple walked away feeling a bit better, deciding that they should probably be visiting with their guests and making sure that they were okay as well. The Doctor and Amanda then moved off to the very front of the church by the alter set up to try and sit for a moment so they could relax and think, and so The Doctor could check on the status of her health again. But, as soon as they'd sat down, though, Jackie appeared with a basinet that contained little baby Rose and to their complete surprise, thrust the carrier into the Doctors arms.

"Can you two watch her for a moment?" She asked them pleadingly. "I need a break and I have to go find where little Mickey's run off to. Thanks." She explained and then rushed off without giving them a chance to answer.

Amanda nearly burst out laughing at the look of awkward disbelief on the Doctor's face. He set the basinet down on the pew and looked curiously down at the baby within.

"Gimmy, gimmy, gimmy!" Amanda cooed adoringly.

She reached out for Rose, wanting to hold her for a while seeing as she had absolutely no qualms with the little bundle who hadn't done anything yet and then sat down to rock her slightly. The Doctor couldn't help but smile as he watched her, shaking his head at the display. He then sat next to them and leaned in to allow baby Rose to wrap her little fist around his finger.

"I speak baby you know…." He commented offhandedly.

"Nifty." She grinned in admiration, feeling genuinely impressed.

*****Back With Rose & Pete/Church Alcove*****

The two of them had found a quiet place to sit and talk, but for a moment, neither of them did much talking. They just sat there in silence as they tried to wrap their heads around the situation.

"I'm a dad." Pete chirped dazedly. "I mean, I'm already a dad, but Rose grows up and she's you." He acknowledged, completely mystified, but happy none the less. "That's wonderful." He then scoffed to himself and added, "I mean, I suppose I thought you'd be a bit useless what with my useless genes and all….." he chuckled lightly and Rose couldn't help but join in. "Well, I mean, how did you get here?" He probed curiously.

"Do you really want to know?" She asked.

"Yeah." He replied eagerly.

"A time machine." She admitted, smiling at the ridiculousness of her answer.

"Time machine?" He repeated skeptically.

"Cross my heart." She confirmed with a small snigger though trying to keep a straight face.

Pete chortled with excitement.

"Do you all have time machines where you come from?" He wondered.

"No, just Amanda and the Doctor." She established after wiping the now dried tears from her face.

"Did you know these things were coming?" He asked hesitantly, lowering his voice in concern.

"No." She answered guiltily with a shake of her head.

"God, I don't know, my head's spinning." He admitted with a strained sigh before perking up again. "What's the future like?"

Rose paused for a moment as she thought about it.

"It's not so different." She commented.

"What am I like?" He chuckled. "Have I gone gray?"

She hesitated, not knowing how to answer, making his smile disappear.

"Have I gone bald? Don't tell me I've gone bald." He groaned jokingly, mistaking the meaning of her silence, but frowned when she still didn't answer. "So," he brushed off, moving on to relieve the awkward tension, "if that man isn't your boyfriend, I have to say I'm glad 'cause being your dad and all, I think he's a bit old for you." He admitted, making her laugh. "Though, if he's your other friend's, I'd have to say I don't much approve of that ether—she seems like a sweet girl." His eyes then went wide in possible realization. "Oh, God, is she mine too?"

"Ha! No." Rose snorted. "We're just friends. She's actually four years older than me." She explained.

"Really?" He wondered in surprise, but then brushed it off. "Sooo….have you got a bloke?"

"No. I did have—" She started to admit, but was cut off by the sound of Jackie's approaching voice.

"Mickey…" Jackie called out as she chased after the little guy.

When he ran into the room, he immediately went straight for Rose and clung to her legs for dear life, seeking comfort. Rose just stared down at him in shock, not really knowing what she should do. It was strange to see him like this. Not the clinging part, he did that all the time…but he was just a kid at the moment and so it was a bit weird—almost surreal.

"Do you know him?" Pete asked when he saw the look on her face.

"I just didn't recognize him in a suit." She muttered in a daze. "You have to let go of me sweetheart. I'm always saying that…" She nudged him off as nicely as she could, and only she was aware of the double meaning to her words.

"He just grabs hold of what's passing and holds on for dear life." Jackie commented, saying exactly what Rose had just been thinking. "God help his poor girlfriend if he ever gets one."

Both Rose and Pete realized what Jackie must be thinking when they saw the disappointed look on her face.

"Me and Rose were just talking." He tried to assure her.

"Oh, yeah? Talking?" She asked sarcastically. "While the world comes to an end, what do you do? Cling to the youngest blond." She accused. "Come on Mic." She prompted, taking the boy's hand and leading him back to the main room.

After a second's pause, Pete made to follow her with a look of determination on his face, but Rose stopped him.

"You can't tell her." She ordered hastily.

"Why?" He protested.

"I mean, I really don't want you to tell her." She admitted with a slight stutter.

"You don't want people to know?" He confirmed.

"Where I come from, Jackie doesn't know how to work the timer on the video recorder." She admitted with a tired sigh.

"I showed her that last week." He snickered and then conceded when she gave him a pointed look. "Point taken." He agreed.

*****Back With Amanda & The Doctor*****

Rose went searching for her companions to give her dad time to absorb everything. She was surprised when she'd finally found them to see Amanda gingerly cradling a baby and making silly faces while the Doctor watched over them.

"Now Rose, you're not going to bring about the end of the world, are you?" The Doctor cooed playfully yet seriously at the same time. "Are you?"

The baby just looked back at him with big curious eyes.

"Jackie gave her to us to look after." The Doctor commented when he sensed Rose approach them from behind.

"How times change." Amanda scoffed jokingly.

"I better be careful." Rose joked, trying in vain to brush away the tension and make light of the situation as she stared down at herself with a small laugh. "I think I just imprinted myself on Mickey like a mother chicken."

She then leaned down with her hand stretched out towards herself with a smile when Amanda suddenly jerked out of her reach with a gasp of fear and irritation.

"No." Amanda snapped, making Rose flinch back in surprised confusion.

"Don't. Touch. The baby" The Doctor warned her sternly, shoving her arm away.

"You're both the same person..." Amanda started to explain after a loud screech from one of the creatures had caught Rose's attention.

"…We don't want a paradox happening," The Doctor continued, "not with these things outside. Anything new, any disturbance in time, makes them stronger. A paradox might just let them in."

Amanda suddenly gasped.

"Oh, God, Doctor, take her….take her." She groaned fearfully, holding baby Rose out for him to take.

The Doctor whipped around and took her away quickly as he caught sight of the problem. Amanda's nose had started to bleed and as soon as her arms were free, she got up to rush to the bathroom.

"I'll be back in a moment." She promised them.

Rose looked shaken as she watched her friend rush off to the ladies room. She hadn't realized just how sick Amanda really was and she couldn't help the nagging thought that was streaming through her head at the moment. '_Did I really cause that too?_'

"You know how I said that the creatures are getting stronger?" The Doctor asked her in concern as he too looked towards the direction Amanda had run off too.

"Y-yeah." Rose stuttered apprehensively, dreading what he might say next.

"I think they're making her weaker." He admitted fearfully.

"I can't do anything right, can I?" Rose commented dejectedly.

"Since you asked, no. So don't touch the baby." He replied looking completely serious and it tore at Rose's heart to hear him talking down to her like that.

"I'm not stupid." She defended in annoyance.

"You could have fooled me." He argued back sounding almost angry.

Rose turned away not knowing what else to say. It was like the Doctor had just slapped her and with how upset she was with herself, she almost wished he had. He saw it in the expression she wore.

"Okay." He said calmly after a moment. "I'm sorry. I wasn't really going to leave you on your own." He admitted.

"I know." She slipped in quickly before he continued.

"Between the three of us, I haven't got a plan." He disclosed. "No idea—no way out."

"You'll think of something." She tried to encourage, though it came out a bit shaky.

"The entire Earth's been sterilized." He explained, once again trying to emphasize the seriousness of the situation. "This, and other places like it, are all that's left of the human race." He put the baby back into her carrier and sighed. "We might hold out for a while, but nothing can stop those creatures. They'll get through in the end. The walls aren't _that_ old…..and there's nothing I can do to stop them." He paused to glance warily at the windows and then turned back to look at her. "There used to be laws stopping this kind of thing from happening. _My People_ would have stopped this. But they're all gone….and now I'm going the same way."

"If I'd realized….." Rose started to reply, sounding completely heartbroken.

"Just…" Came Amanda's voice, softly, from behind them, causing them to look in her direction and gasp when they saw how white she'd become. "Say you're sorry."

"I am." Rose insisted emphatically. "I am so sorry."

Amanda gave her a tired smile in acceptance and opened her arms wide indicating for Rose to come give her a hug to which she gladly and tearfully obliged. Rose immediately rushed over to her friend and the two of them laughed like schoolgirls until Rose flinched back in shock.

"Have you got something hot?" She inquired jokingly at the sensation she'd felt pulsing from the Doctor's jacket that Amanda still wore.

Amanda looked down in confusion and reached her hand cautiously into one of the pockets only to yank it back out in pain, flinging a glowing piece of metal to the floor as she did, feeling as though it had burned her.

"It's the TARDIS key!" The Doctor realized in exhilaration.

Amanda took off the jacket as quickly as she was able so he could use it like an oven-mitt to pick the thing up.

"It's telling me it's still connected to the TARDIS!" He explained, looking extremely giddy.

The three of them exchanged looks of elation and Amanda flung her arms around the Doctor, placing a kiss on his cheek in the excitement of the moment before she turned away to help gather everyone towards the front of the room so they could share the news. She'd completely missed the shocked blush that had appeared on his face, but Rose didn't and so sent him a teasing smile that he chose to ignore, making her roll her eyes. Eventually, just as before, Amanda's adrenalin was quickly spent and Rose had to help her into a seat towards the back so she could rest while the Doctor took over.

"The inside of my ship was thrown out of the wound, but we can use this to bring it back." He started to explain to everyone as he held up the glowing key for them to see. "And once I've got my ship back, then I can mend everything. Now, I just need a bit of power. Has anyone got a battery?" He inquired, looking out at their blank, uneasy expressions.

"Is this one big enough?" Stuart asked, eagerly holding up his father's brick of a phone, wanting to do anything he could to help.

"Fantastic." The Doctor affirmed, gratefully.

"Good old dad." Stuart happily took out the battery and held it out for the Doctor to do as he needed. "Here you go."

The Doctor gripped his sonic screwdriver in his mouth to get a firm hold of the battery in his other hand before he brought the sonic to it and turned it on.

"Just need to do a bit of charging up." He chirped. "And then we can bring everyone back."

Everyone looked around the room as the creatures continued to screech and shriek as they pounded against every outside surface of the church. It was as if they knew that the people inside were no longer defenseless.

Eventually, Pete moved back to sit by Rose. He looked concerned and a bit uneasy at the sight of her friend who was lying next to her along the chairs, looking pale as death and shivering with a slight sheen of perspiration that had reformed across her skin now that the Doctor's coat was gone from her shoulders.

"You, erm, you never said why you came here in the first place." He pointed out hesitantly, not wanting to get her in trouble with her friend. "If I had a time machine, I wouldn't have thought that 1987 was anything special."

"We just ended up here." Amanda mumbled tiredly, hinting to Rose that she needed to be careful of what she said next.

"Lucky for me eh?" Pete mused. "If you hadn't been there to save me….."

"That was just a coincidence." Rose jumped in, brushing off what he'd been about to say. "That was just really good luck. It's amazing."

Amanda couldn't help but giggle at the awkwardness Rose was dancing around.

"So, in the future, are me and her indoors still together?" Pete asked, indicating himself and Jackie, sensing that something was probably wrong.

"Yeah." Rose replied dreamily, thinking that a small lie wouldn't hurt anything, seeing as the Doctor was '_fixing_' things…..she might as well let him go out on a happy note.

He grinned in relief at the answer.

"You still living with us?" He asked next.

"Yep." She chirped.

He grinned at that as well, but then became solemn as he asked his next question with a hint of apprehension.

"Am I a good dad?"

Rose paused for a moment as she thought of what she should say. She smiled slightly when she felt Amanda squeeze her hand in comfort.

"She brags about you all the time….about how great you are. Gets a bit annoying actually—you might want to tone it down a bit." Amanda teased him tiredly, but reassuringly, giving Rose the confidence to jump in.

"You told me a bedtime story every night when I was small." Rose added with a smile on her face as she thought of the other things she'd dreamt might have happened if he had lived. "You were always there, you never missed one…And, erm, you took us for picnics in the country, every Saturday. You never let us down. You were there for us all the time…. Someone I could really rely on."

He smiled at her softly for making him sound so wonderful. He really appreciated the thought and wished it was all true, but he knew better.

"That doesn't sound like me." He acknowledged.

Before she could argue, they were all distracted by a sound that the girls recognized as one of the sort of groaning-hums that The TARDIS usually makes. They looked back towards the front of the room to see that the Doctor had finally finished with whatever he'd been trying to do. The key was still glowing, just hanging there in mid-air about where the ship's lock would've been if it were actually there. The TARDIS looked like a ghost or a mirage as it faintly shimmered into view every time the key pulsed. The Doctor rushed back up to the pulpit to call everyone's attention.

"Right, no one touches that key, have you got that? Don't touch it." He directed in all seriousness. "Anyone who touches that key, it'll be, well, _ZAP_!" He emphasized by striking the air. "Just leave it be and everything will be fine. We'll get out—all of us." He looked over to the happy couple and smiled. "Stuart, Sarah, you're going to get married, just like we said."

*****Ten Minutes Later*****

Eventually, the Doctor made it back to where the girls were sitting. He'd draped his coat back across Amanda's shoulders like a blanket and sat so she could rest her head on his lap as he stroked his hand through her hair in a comforting gesture. He was really worried about her now. The reappearing TARDIS seemed to be making a difference, but the last scan he'd done with the sonic did not look good. He tried to smile when he heard her humming the song he'd sung for her the night before, but it only seemed to make him feel worse. It was strange—he'd never been upset that she was human before. '_They're too fragile._'

As they all remained sitting together in silence, Rose noticed that every once in a while, Jackie would glance back at them with a look of jealousy and disappointment. It was breaking her heart—the thought of her mother thinking that her dad was cheating and that she had caused it.

"Doctor," she prompted, gaining his attention, "when time gets sorted out….."

"Everyone here forgets what happened." He assured her, answering her question before she could finish get it out. "And don't worry, the thing that you changed will stay changed."

"You mean I'll still be alive." Pete commented offhandedly with a hint of sadness in his voice from behind them. "Though I'm meant to be dead." He watched them snap their heads around to look at him (except for Amanda) and saw the answer in Rose's expression. "That's why I haven't done anything with my life. Why I didn't mean anything." He droned.

"Did he seriously just imply that famous people live longer?" Amanda mumbled incredulously.

"It doesn't work like that." The Doctor tried to assure him.

"Rubbish." Pete countered bitterly. "I was so useless, I couldn't even die properly. Now it's my fault all this has happened."

"This is my fault." Rose insisted, trying to take all of the blame.

"No, Love." Pete corrected, placing his hand on top of hers. "I'm your dad. It's my job for it to be my fault."

None of them seemed to notice that Jackie had approached, carrying baby Rose with her, just in time to hear that last statement until she spoke up in shocked disgust.

"Her dad?" She gasped. "How are you her dad? How old were you? Twelve?" She started to get a bit hysterical. "Oh, that's disgusting."

The Doctor scoffed, rolling his eyes in irritation and stood up to walk away until they were done, but was stopped by Amanda who had reached out and taken hold of the bottom of his green jumper. She knew he wasn't a fan of '_domestics_', but she wanted him close by and she was too tired to follow after him. He glanced down at the pleading look in her eyes and couldn't help but give in. He gave a heavy sigh and turned back around to face the others with his arms crossed, but still keeping out of it. Amanda smiled and shifted so she could weakly hold on to the material of his pants so as to reassure herself that he was still there.

"Jacks—listen—this is Rose." Pete tried to explain so as to correct the situation, but wasn't doing too well.

"Rose?" Jackie huffed looking horrified—completely misunderstanding what he was saying. "How sick is that? Did you give my daughter a second-hand name?" She asked with her eyes showing signs that she was about to start crying at any moment. "How many are there? Do you call them all Rose?"

"Oh, for God's sake, look. It's the same Rose." Pete scoffed in frustration as he snatched the baby from Jackie's arms and set her back down into a shocked Rose's arms, having caught her off guard.

The Doctor leapt fearfully away from Amanda's grasp to try and stop him, but it was too late.

"ROSE, NO!" He shouted out before snatching the baby back from her.

They were all then suddenly distracted by the sound of Amanda screaming and turned around just in time to see her clutch at her head in pain and roll off the chairs and onto the floor in a crumpled heap with her nose bleeding again. The Doctor quickly thrust the baby back into Pete's arms and was about to rush over to her when the rest of the room let out frantic screams as well. One of the creatures had just materialized into the room and started to screech as it snapped it's claws.

"Everyone, behind me!" The Doctor ordered as he shoved as many of them back as he could and put his arms out in front of them protectively. "I'm the oldest thing in here." He declared, taking a few steps forward to catch the creature's attention.

"Oh, no you don't." Amanda grunted in determination, just before the thing was about to make its move.

With the last of her strength, she pushed off the ground and ran forward to shove him out of the way just in time, putting herself in the creature's path instead.

"AMANDA!" Rose screamed out in shock as she watched her friend's body be enveloped by the massive thing, to be devoured alive.

They all looked on in horror as the monster then shivered violently as if it the girl it had just eaten had given it indigestion. It then managed to swoop and thrash about the room only once before it came around and unknowingly crash through the space the TARDIS was trying to rematerialize, which resulted in exactly what the Doctor told them would happen. With a loud _ZAP_ and a bright flash of golden light, both the creature and the TARDIS disintegrated into nothing. The key then fell to the floor no longer glowing or pulsating—it was dead. Rose immediately ran forward and picked it up, completely shocked at what had just happened.

"Cold….the key's cold." She muttered disbelievingly and then realized, "Oh, my God…she's dead." She then looked helplessly to where the Doctor was still standing—staring at the empty space where Amanda had just been. "Doctor?" She questioned hesitantly.

He didn't respond. He just kept staring blankly at the carpet, letting it all sink in. Then, he closed his eyes, his hands slowly became fists and his shoulders shook with tension.

"Not for me." He mumbled to himself.

"Doctor, wha—" Rose started to ask, but flinched back into her father's arms at the sudden outburst that came next.

"DAMN IT, AMANDA—YOU STUPID, APE!" He barked in frustrated anger and then threw a chair across the room. "NOT FOR ME!" He seethed, gritting his teeth.

He then took a moment to breathe before calmly walked towards Rose and snatched the key from her hand, completely ignoring the sad and pitying look she was giving him and kept moving until he sat, alone, on one of the pews behind the pulpit. She watched as he dug his fingers through his hair until his hands rested in front of his face, his shoulders shaking slightly every now and again. She couldn't bear to see him like that—looking so angry and dejected—miserable. It seemed that he'd actually given up and it broke her heart. Her father tried to pull her into a hug, but she jerked away.

"Amanda's dead and it's all my fault." She shuddered dazedly and looked back at her father. "Both of you…..all of you. The whole world." She gasped and started to cry as Pete was finally able to pull her into a tight hug.

The room grew slightly colder and became a bit darker as the day began to turn into evening.

"This is it." Commented a fearful, woman in an obnoxious, pink blazer who was standing nearby. "There's nothing we can do. It's the end."

Eventually, everyone moved off to do as they saw fit in what they thought were their last few moments on Earth. Rose moved to sit near the Doctor, being sure to keep a bit of distance between them knowing that he wanted to be alone and without comfort at the moment. Her dad had left the room and made his way back to the back section he'd been to before so he could stare out the window again.

As he was looking out at the empty city, something strange caught his attention. It was the same car he'd thought he'd seen early, the one that Amanda and the Doctor insisted that he not worry about, brushing it aside as if it were nothing—the car he just recognized as the one that had nearly run him over before all this craziness had started. He watched as it appeared out of a flash of golden light only to screech around the corner to disappear into another flash of gold—again and again and again…..

He watched and thought—realizing what it all meant and what he could do about it. He thought about Jackie and Rose and her brave friends. He battled with his own emotions and what he knew was right, before he finally settled on a decision. With a look of determination and shaking knees, he headed back to the main room.

*****With Amanda*****

It was weird—one moment she was being torn apart and the next—she was met with the sensation of her bellybutton being pulled towards her spine and a tingling buzz flowing out of her limbs. She blinked, and the church was gone to be replaced by a back yard setting of what appeared to be government base housing. But wait….how did she know that?

"Mommy! Daddy!" A small voice called out excitedly.

Amanda turned to see a little girl about three years old with auburn hair and bright blue eyes run up through the grass to jump up into a tall man's arms as she giggled happily.

"Mandy-Pandy!" The man chirped in a deep voice as he tossed her into the air and caught her again before he started to tickle her sides.

"Guess what!" The girl gushed.

"What?" A woman asked who happened to be carrying a little chubby one year old boy who was dressed as a sailor.

Amanda stared at the woman—she was beautiful. Her hair was just a bit darker than the girl's and she wore glasses. She thought she recognized her from somewhere, but she couldn't remember exactly.

"Scotty took me to the park and I made it across the monkey-bars all by myself!" The girl replied looking very proud of herself.

"It's true." Agreed a boy who looked maybe a year or to older than the little girl.

Amanda realized that they must have been a family.

"Oh, how great is that?" The man who held her asked playfully. "High-five!"

The image then began to fade and was replaced by a hallway that led to a small kitchen.

"MOM, MOM, MOM! Guess what?" The same girl from before only looking about 14 now came rushing through.

For a moment it looked like the girl was about to crash right into Amanda's chest, but instead passed through her as if she wasn't even there.

"WHAT, WHAT, WHAT?" The same woman from before only slightly older and with a new style of glasses on her face asked as she started to laugh at how silly her daughter was being.

She was standing at the counter, cutting up a few apples. The girl snatched a slice to chomp on before she continued.

"I got the part and Mrs. Shnider said that if I learn my lines quickly, she would let me paint all the sets and help build the props!" She revealed using wild and enthusiastic hand gestures which caused her to lose hold of her apple slice, forcing her to chase after it into the next room.

The woman continued to laugh with a roll of her eyes as Amanda followed after the girl only for the scene to change again.

This time, she was outside at what looked like an amusement park. She spotted the girl, looking a few years older again with her arm wrapped around the shoulders of another girl who had short, Dr. Pepper red hair. The two of them appeared to be best friends and they were laughing like mad women. The weather was rainy and while everyone else was standing under trees and awnings to escape the water, the two of them were purposefully splashing about in the puddles like little kids—screaming silly songs that they made up at the top of their lungs, completely ignoring the strange looks they were getting because they were simply having way to much fun. Amanda didn't realize it at the time, but she had actually started to sing along with the random words that the two girls were belting out.

"SOMEDAY I'LL BECOME A BUTTERFLY…EATING BUTTER…EATING FLIES…ALL THE TIME!"

The next scene was in an auditorium and the girl was standing on stage with a wide grin that could easily rival the Cheshire Cat as she shook her principal's hand while receiving her diploma with the other. She was enjoying the looks of shock on her classmate's faces seeing as her friend had helped her to dye her hair at the last second, the night before. It was now a blue-platinum blond that was only made even more outrageous when paired together with the obnoxious blue of her ceremonial cap and gown.

Amanda glanced over to a small section of the bleachers where the cheering was distinctly louder than the rest of the room. She could see the girl's friends and family clapping as they jumped up and down in the stands with excitement. The mother looked immensely proud with a few tears streaming down her face. The girl waived to them before she left the stage to get her picture taken.

Amanda was then pulled to what looked like a fancy room of some kind that was decorated with flowers and ribbons. She looked up to see the girl who was now around 21-22, she was dressed in a short chocolate brown sweater dress and dark brown leggings, standing next to her best friend who was in a wedding dress. It appeared that the girl was the maid of honor.

Amanda walked up to get a closer look and saw that the girl was looking wistfully at the happy couple with an adoring smile on her face and glistening eyes. When the ceremony was over, the girl gathered around the other single women at the base of a set of stairs, waiting for the bride to toss the bouquet which the girl easily caught seeing as she was the tallest one there. They all laughed when the girl's parents stood up and cheered at her victory like they'd just won the lottery. Then they all started to gather around, joking and laughing as they took what felt like a million photos.

This same process kept repeating itself over and over again as she flashed through the girl's different memories of people and places that she recognized but didn't know.

*****Back With The Others*****

When Pete reached the main room again, he saw that Rose was still in the same place she'd been when he left. He quickly downed a shot of something that Stuart had offered him and walked over to stand in front of her as confidently as he could.

"That mate of yours, she really cared about you both." He commented, to gain her attention.

Rose looked up at him completely drained, but the Doctor ignored them, staring blankly at the floor.

"The Doctor and Amanda are good people." He continued. "They didn't want you to go through it again….not if there was another way. Now there isn't."

This statement _did_ catch the Doctor's attention.

"What are you talking about?" Rose asked in apprehensive confusion.

"The car that should have killed me, Love." He explained as he put on his jacket. "It's here—just outside. The Doctor worked it out way back but he…._they_ tried to protect me." He looked at her, hesitating a moment, and then trudged on with a firm resolve. "Still…he's not in charge anymore. I am."

"But you can't." She sniffed tearfully.

"Who am I, Love?" He asked her, placing his hand comfortingly on her cheek.

"My daddy." She replied in a shaky voice, but flinched away when her mother approached them.

"Jackie, look at her." Pete prompted insistently, "She's ours."

Jackie stared at her disbelievingly, but really and truly looked. Rose smirked at her pleadingly with tears falling down her face, begging her to see, and she did. She saw the resemblance and pieced the day's events together to realize what was right in front of her the whole time.

"Oh, God." She gasped as she pulled her daughter into a hug.

"I'm meant to be dead, Jackie." Pete clarified, putting a dampener on the girl's moment. "You're gonna get rid of me at last." He added jokingly.

"Don't say that." She admonished him.

"For once in your life, trust me." He ordered her with an adoring yet apologetic smile. "It's got to be done. You've got to survive 'cause you've got to bring up our daughter." He explained, gesturing to Rose who was smiling sadly at them and then gave Jackie a fierce yet passionate kiss before turning back to Rose. "I never read you those bedtime stories, I never took you on those picnics. I was never there for you."

"You would have been." She insisted as she cried.

"But I can do _this_ for you." He assured her. "I can be a proper dad to you now."

"But it's not fair." She argued, nearly sobbing now.

"I've had all these extra hours." He countered happily. "No one else in the world has ever had that." He joked and then ran his fingers lovingly through her hair. "And on top of that, I get to see you. And you're beautiful. How lucky am I, eh?" He cleared his throat and became somewhat serious again. "So do as your dad says."

The Doctor stood up stoically and gave Pete a once over in appraisal before picking up the vase the man had been holding at the time of what was originally supposed to be his death and handed it to him.

"You're a good man, Peter Allen Tyler. A good _dad_." He commented sincerely. "One of the best I've met and believe me, I've met a lot of people."

"Thank you." He nodded to the Doctor and then looked at Rose. "Are you going to be there for me?" He questioned.

She gasped, trying to stay strong and nodded in response, unable to speak.

"Thanks for saving me." He added as he gave her one last hug before rushing off to the front doors.

He ran down the steps and out to the gates to wait for the car to appear again. When he reached the street, he saw that one of the creatures was already lined up and ready to attack. He knew that he only had one chance—one shot to get it right. He saw the flash of gold out of the corner of his eye and quickly dashed towards the corned as fast as he could. He stopped himself directly in front of the vehicle and braced for the impact with his eyes shut tight.

"Goodbye, Love." He managed to whisper apologetically, just before it hit.

Both Rose and the Doctor had stood at the doors to watch him. She flinched and buried her face into the Doctor's arm when it happened, trying to block out the shattering crunch. The effect was instantaneous—the creatures started to disappear one by one until it was as if they'd never been there in the first place, leaving only herself and the Doctor unaffected.

Rose jumped suddenly when someone unexpected placed a comforting hand on her shoulder. She looked up and was completely shocked when she saw who it was.

"Go to him. Quick." Amanda prompted her with a soft, sad smile on her face, looking completely healthy and back to normal.

Rose wasted no time doing exactly as she was directed while Both Amanda and the Doctor stayed behind to give them some privacy.

"You called me a stupid ape, didn't you?" Amanda asked nonchalantly a moment later, keeping her eyes focused on Rose and her father as the paramedic's arrived.

"Yep." The Doctor replied, doing the same.

"Are we good?" She asked.

"Affirmative." He answered again in the same fashion.

"Okay then." Amanda acknowledged with a short nod before promptly throwing a hard punch to his arm.

"Oi! What was that for?" He winced as he rubbed the spot where she'd hit him.

"Stupid ape, my ass." She grumbled with a satisfied smirk.

*****Ten Minutes Later/Back On The TARDIS*****

Once the Doctor had put them back into the time vortex, Rose went straight for her room to be alone for a while and no one really blamed her for doing so. Amanda leaned herself back against the console, staring blankly at the floor-grating as she thought about the things she'd seen after having been 'eaten'. After setting them to drift, the Doctor finally made his way around to lean against the hand railing that was directly across from her with his arms cross.

"It wasn't as I'd expected it to be—being eaten that is…" She started offhandedly as she continued to stare into space. "It hurt, yeah, but…..there was no darkness afterwards, no heavenly clouds, no drifting through the nothingness." Her eyes then flashed upwards to keep contact with the Doctor's. "I saw things—familiar things. People and places that I knew, but I don't know, but I…..I think they were moments of my life." She admitted.

The Doctor just stood there and let her talk.

"I didn't experience them—I just watched. It was like being a ghost or viewing old home movies, but all of the memories belonged to someone else. I—she was happy….I think…I—I—it was just so strange." She stuttered out and then placed her hands to her cheek when she felt something cold only to pull hit back to find that it was a tear. "I—I…..don't….." She started to mumble in confusion.

She then let out a gasp, as the Doctor stood up and pulled her into a tight hug, burying his face into her hair. She cried softly, wrapping her own arms around his waist and nuzzling her head into his chest.

"Please…" He whispered. "Don't ever do anything like that again. Please….not for me."

She sighed.

"Only if you promise to never do the same for me." She offered.

He squeezed her a bit tighter.

"That's not going to happen." He refused adamantly.

"Exactly." She pointed out somewhat teasingly, there in giving him her answer.

"I mean it—I'm being completely serious." He grumbled into her hair so it came out like a growl.

"So was I, Doctor." She insisted. "You've got the TARDIS, you've got all of time and space at your fingertips and the universe keeps you plenty busy what with needing you to save it all the time…..you don't need me. But you are literally all I have, Doctor. No memories and nowhere to go? I couldn't impose upon Rose forever and I couldn't bring myself to live like a normal person after all we've experienced….I just couldn't. You could move on eventually after I'm gone, Doctor, but for me—without you…what's the point?"

The Doctor pulled back and stared at her a moment, seeing just how serious she was by the look in her eyes and it stung. After she'd shoved him away to be devoured in his place, he'd been so angry with himself that she'd been taken. It felt like someone had ripped his hearts out and there was nothing he could do about it—he had actually been ready to give up and let the stupid creatures finish him off, and here she was, thinking that she was just so unimportant. He shook his head disbelievingly and let out a huff of air before giving her a smile.

"So, where to next, then?" He asked eagerly only to deadpan at her rather anticlimactic reply.

"The kitchen." She smirked. "I am starving and I have this random, hard-core craving for a cup of tea."

**********And there we have it…another chapter! I hope you liked it…..review and let me know what you think! I also hope that the Doctor didn't seem out of character at any point (and yes…..I did slip in a small blip from "Pitch Black").**********


	10. Why's It Ringing

*****I am so soooo sorry about how long it has taken me to post any sort of updates to this story! I have plenty of perfectly acceptable excuses, but I won't bore you with any of them... Anyways, I have decided that from now on, for the rest of season one, I am going to post the episodes/chapters in halves (part 1 & part 2) so that I will be able to post updates more frequently!**

*****Again, I'm sorry for how long it has been and I hope you enjoy the first half of the episode!**

* * *

><p><strong>Impossible or Just Highly Unlikely<strong>

_(Are You My Mommy)_

*****TARDIS Console Room/A Few Weeks Later*****

Amanda sat, balancing on the handrail that looped around the console, swinging her legs back and forth like a child with a big grin on her face, listening to the Doctor. While they were waiting for Rose to finish changing, he was trying to tell her a joke and he was nearing the punch line.

They had all just been to the 'Pillars of Creation' from the Eagle Nebula after having visited The Triangulum Emission Garren Nebula. Both trips were beautifully stunning and Amanda was looking forward to seeing the Crab Nebula next and then possibly the Horsehead, but the Doctor suggested that they make a quick stop at an anti-gravity concert on the moon of some planet in the year four-thousand four-hundred and forty-four, first. Apparently, whoever was playing was supposedly a big deal and the advert said that the venue was going to be 'stellar', so the girls happily agreed.

"So, then the Sontaran says—" The Doctor tried to finish, but was cut off by a violent shake of the TARDIS that was followed by the sound of an alarm.

Amanda let out a surprised yelp as the sudden jerk of the ship sent her tumbling backwards over her perch to land in a heap on the ground.

"What the hell was that?!" She asked as she scrambled back to her feet and rushed over to the monitor to see a cylinder like vessel rushing ahead of them through the Vortex.

"No idea, but are you okay? That thump sounded like it hurt." He inquired.

Before she could answer, Rose came rushing in from the corridor looking panicked.

"What's the emergency?" She questioned as she made her way over to her companions.

"Oh, crud, Doctor….It looks like it's mauve." Amanda warned him.

At her words, he quickly put in a few commands before joining her at the monitor to double check and sure enough…it was mauve.

"Mauve?" Rose repeated in confusion.

"It's the universally recognized color for danger." Amanda explained in a rush as she tried to help the Doctor regain control.

"What happened to red?" Rose scoffed skeptically.

"That's just humans." The Doctor clarified. "By everyone else's standards, red's camp. Oh, the misunderstandings..." He joked. "All those red alerts, all that dancing."

Amanda couldn't help but laugh at that, which in turn made the others chuckle as well.

"It's got a very basic flight computer." He informed them as he continued to type. "I've hacked in, slaved the TARDIS. Wherever it goes, we go."

"And that's safe, is it?" Rose asked, sounding just a bit worried.

"Totally." He assured her flippantly.

And of course, he'd spoken to soon, because as soon as the statement left his lips, he flipped a switch which caused the console to let off a shower of sparks that was then followed by more violent turbulence than there already had been.

"Okay, _reasonably_." He amended. "Should have said '_reasonably_' there."

Amanda chuckled before she shook her head and then rolled her eyes at his antics which made him smirk. Rose stared at them both incredulously, obviously not understanding why they thought it was so funny. The Doctor's smirk abruptly disappeared though as another alarm went off.

"No. No! It's jumping time tracks, getting away from us." He complained.

"What exactly is that thing?" Rose probed as she tried her best to keep from falling over.

"No idea." He replied distractedly as he continued to work the controls.

"Then why are we chasing it?" She wondered in concern.

"Because he's the Doctor and the alerts says it's mauve." Amanda answered flippantly as if it should have been obvious.

"And it's about thirty seconds from the center of London." The Doctor chimed in.

"Ha! Of course it is." Amanda scoffed.

*****Five Minutes Later/London, Earth*****

The TARDIS rematerialized in a dark and dingy ally somewhere towards the middle of the city.

"Do you know how long we can knock about space without happening to 'bump' into Earth?" The Doctor asked sarcastically as he and the girls stepped out to get their bearings.

"Five Days." Rose replied flippantly. "Or is that just when we're out of milk?" She added as a joke, while looking pointedly at Amanda.

"Oi!" Said woman snapped in defense. "Don't look at me like that. I can't help that milk is like friggin crack. Besides….if you two don't like how irritable I get—"

"Irritable?" Rose scoffed. "Your 'withdrawals' turn you into an outright monster." She teased.

"—And if you think we stop here too much…why don't we just start buying two or three gallons instead of one?" Amanda proposed seriously as if she hadn't been interrupted. "Lord knows they won't go to waste with me."

"Of all the species in all the universe and it has to come out of a cow." The Doctor scoffs playfully.

Amanda rolled her eyes and smirked.

"Yes. Yes it does, Doctor." She agreed. "Because you've had me try substitutes from other planets and species and none of them '_do_' it right. By all means though….if you can find one that works, I'm all for it—just don't expect any miracles."

They both smiled at each other and the Doctor shook his head with a soft chuckle in exasperated amusement.

"Sooo…." Rose prompted, getting them back on task.

"Right…" The Doctor snapped to attention, taking notice of their surroundings. "It must've come down somewhere quite close… within a mile anyways." He noted as he started to make his way towards the entrance of the alleyway with the girls falling in line next to him. "And it can't have been more than a few weeks ago—maybe a month." He guessed.

"A month?" Rose questioned in disbelief. "We were right behind it."

"Come now, Rose," Amanda lightly chastised. "You saw it. That thing was jumping time tracks all over the place. We're bound to be a little off."

"Do you want to drive?" The Doctor huffed.

"Yeah" Rose replied sounding almost serious. "How much is a little?" She asked as an afterthought.

"A bit." Amanda dismissed as they all rounded a corner to head down another section of the alley.

"Is that exactly '_a bit_'?" Rose teased.

"Ish." Amanda played along with a small smirk.

"So, what's the plan then?" Rose asked the Doctor with a slight skip to her step in excitement. "Are you going to do a scan for alien tech or something?"

"Rose, it hit the middle of London with a very loud bang." He admonished. "I'm going to _ask_."

Rose deflated a bit at the plan's boring simplicity.

"Yeah, sorry, Rose. I know it's a little anticlimactic, but you have to admit that it's logical and you know how much he likes to talk to strangers." Amanda commented and then added jokingly under her breath so only Rose could hear, "They always have the best candy."

Rose giggled quietly to herself before rolling her eyes in disappointment. The Doctor then flashed an identification badge in a small wallet for her to see.

"Doctors John Smith and Amanda Winters: Ministry of Asteroids." Rose read.

"Oh, cool, I have a doctorate now!" Amanda chirped.

"It's Psychic Paper, it tells you what—" The Doctor started to explain only to have Rose cut him off.

"Whatever you want it to," She sighed in slight annoyance, "I remember."

"Sorry." He responded a little sarcastically as he pulled out his sonic screwdriver to fiddle with the lock on a door that read 'employees only'.

"Not very 'Spock', is it?" Rose commented, naggingly. "Just asking..."

The Doctor ignored her and instead, placed his ear against the door to listen.

"Door, music, people..." He noted. "What do you think?"

"Seams promising." Amanda mused.

The Doctor smiled at her and knelt down to do his thing while Amanda moved to lean against the wall, next to the door-frame with her arms crossed and one of her legs bent up to prop her foot against it as well.

"_I think_ you should do a scan for alien tech." Rose huffed. "Give us some Spock, for once. Would it kill you?"

"Are you sure about that T-shirt?" He asked her, completely ignoring her comment again.

Rose glanced down at said shirt in contemplation having been efficiently distracted for the moment. She was wearing a somewhat fitted top that was brightly designed to look like the Union Flag. It was obnoxious but fun and looked rather cute on her.

"Too early to say." She replied dismissively. "I'm taking it out for a spin…...and what about Amanda's skirt?"

"What about my skirt?" Amanda asked defensively. "What's wrong with it?

Amanda looked down to apprise the outfit she'd decided to wear. Black stockings that came up to just above her knees, dark-purple converse, a blue-jean skirt, and a dark-purple top with sleeves that went to just below her elbows. The top had a low box-cut neckline so she had to wear a black tank-top underneath and it had a strip that ran under the bust with two large buttons on it.

"It's a bit short, don't you think, Doctor?" Rose asked with a smirk.

The Doctor paused in his sonicing to glance at said piece of clothing and because of their positions, he was met with an eye-full of leg. Long legs that his eyes followed slowly upwards until he spotted the denim skirt that came down about mid-thigh she was wearing and then quickly looked away with the tips of his ears tinted red.

"I think she—it looks fine. Nice skirt." He commented with a slight cough to clear his throat.

"Thank you, Doctor." Amanda chirped triumphantly before sticking her tongue out at Rose. "Besides, long skirts are harder to run in."

"Yeah….thought you'd like it." Rose commented teasingly to the Doctor and grinned even brighter when his ears blushed even darker.

Then both girls flinched and looked away in concern when they heard a little boy call out from somewhere nearby, though neither could see him.

"_Mummy…_"

Amanda pushed off the wall and moved to stand next to Rose while they both continued to look around.

"_Muummmyy…._"

The girls shared an uneasy look before they walked out to the middle of the alleyway to get a better view of the area.

"Come on if you're coming." The Doctor called to them over his shoulder as he got up to move through the now open doorway. "Won't take a minute."

Amanda was about to follow him when Rose snatched her arm rather suddenly with a concerned gasp escaping her lips. Giving one last fleeting look at the Doctor's retreating form, she turned around and let out a gasp of her own when she saw what had caught Rose's attention. Up on the roof of a nearby building was what appeared to be the figure of a small boy standing far too close to the edge than either girl was comfortable with.

"Doctor!" Amanda called out, not daring to look away even for a moment.

"Doctor, there's a kid up there!" Rose tried franticly, hoping that that would catch his attention.

It was clear to both of them though, when he didn't respond immediately, that he must have been too far gone to hear them. They didn't want the little boy to get hurt though so they both looked around to try and find a way up to him.

"You go down that way, Rose, and I'll go this way." Amanda directed. "See if you find a way up, then shout for me. We'll meet back here in a few minutes either way and regroup to try again and hopefully the Doctor will have come back by then to join us."

"Okay." Rose agreed before rushing off in her assigned direction.

Trying to keep track of the rooftop that boy was last seen on while maintaining some sort of sense of direction wasn't easy. Most of the alleyways looked the same, but Amanda would be dammed if she got herself lost and in need of her own rescuing…the Doctor would never let her live it down.

After a few minutes of searching with no results, she was about to turn back towards the TARDIS to meet up with the others when she froze in place. Her skin grew cold as her hands started to tremor slightly and she felt as though her stomach had dropped down to her feet.

"Something's not right…" She whispered in confusion.

That strange sense of dejavoo that she sometimes got seemed to be drawing her attention to something posted on the wall that was next to her. She walked closer to get a better look and her eyes went wide with recognition just before she nearly jumped out of her skin at the sudden sound of a blearing siren.

"Oh, you've got to be kidding me—" She rambled in a mixture of both excitement and fear as she did a quick 180 and ran as fast as she could. "—DOCTOR!"

Behind her, a street lamp flickered, illuminating a disturbingly, new-looking propaganda poster with red and blue letters that read…

**YOUR KING**

AND

**COUNTRY**

**N****EED YO****U**

JOIN THE ARMY

UNTILL THE

WAR IS OVER!

Meanwhile, the Doctor, after being laughed at for asking his question about whether or not something fell from the sky recently, had just come across another propaganda poster that featured dive-bombing fighter planes and the words…

**HITLER**

**WILL GIVE **

**NO WARNING!**

With what this poster, the sudden whine of the sirens, and the now panicked pub patrons scrambling for the exit implied… his hearts gave a slight jolt at the realization that the girls were still outside, in danger, and most likely very confused… well… Rose would be anyways. His Amanda tended to be a bit more observant and calm in these types of situ— NO… Amanda, not '_his_', just— Oh never mind…

He ran out of the side door that he'd entered from and saw that neither of them were waiting around outside like he'd originally thought. He then turned to make his way back towards the TARDIS thinking that they might have returned to wait for him there when they heard the sirens go off.

"Amanda!?" He shouted as he rounded the corner of the alleyway where they'd parked the Blue Box. "Rose!?"

It seemed that his second assumption was also, frustratingly, incorrect because neither girl was anywhere to be seen. Instead he was greeted by the _MEOW_ of an alley cat.

"You know, one day," He sighed exasperatedly to the cat while picking it up to scratch it behind its ears. "Just one day, maybe, I'm gonna meet somebody who gets the whole '_don't wander off_' thing."

"But where would be the fun in that?" Amanda taunted playfully from behind him while trying to catch her breath.

"Nine-hundred years of phone-box travel and it's the only thing left to surprise me." He joked back in slight relief at seeing that she was safe. "Where's Rose?"

Amanda looked around feeling a bit exasperated herself now.

"Ah, I see what you mean… I told her to meet back here if we didn't have any luck in finding a ladder or a set of stairs or something… you would think that a sudden blaring siren would make one want to regroup immediately anyway."

"Why were you looking for either of those things in the first place?" he questioned confusedly.

"We saw a little boy up there, standing on the edge of the roof, calling out for his mother like he was lost or stuck." She explained while pointing up towards the spot on the building that the two girls had spotted him. "He was so close to the edge, we were afraid that he would slip and fall so we each headed around separate sides of the alley to try and find a way up to him and agreed to meet back here and wait for you if we couldn't—and I thought you didn't like cats?!" She tacked on a bit randomly at the end of her explanation, looking uncertainly at the feline he currently held.

"What?" The Doctor questioned, feeling a bit caught off guard at the sudden topic change.

"Or was it Nuns…?" She murmured indecisively to herself, seeming completely serious about her ponderings.

"What?" The Doctor repeated, still feeling a bit clueless at the moment.

"Oh, never mind…" Amanda dismissed herself rather flippantly, ready to jump back into the situation at hand.

The Doctor set down the cat and was about to question her farther when they were both distracted by an impossible sound. The TARDIS was ringing… more specifically, it's outer phone. The two exchanged a dumbfounded look and approached it. Opening a side panel that contained an old-fashioned telephone they were both shocked to see that, yes, it was in fact the TARDIS that was ringing and neither was entirely sure how they should be reacting to the strange phenomenon.

"Doctor, why is it making that noise?" Amanda questioned hesitantly, while one hand gripped his jacket as if she were planning on using him as a shield should the moment suddenly call for it.

"I don't know" He responded as he continued to examine the phone. "Why _are_ you ringing?" He questioned the thing as if it would come alive and tell them the answer. "What's that about…'ringing'?" He continued to ponder as he reached into his pocket to retrieve his sonic screwdriver. "What are we supposed to do with a ringing phone?"

"Don't answer it." A female voice spoke up from behind them, giving Amanda (who attention had been focused entirely on the '_ringing_' sound at the moment) a bit of a startled jolt. "It's not for you."

The two companions whipped their heads around to see a girl who looked about Rose's age if not a year or so younger, sporting dark braided-pigtails, a thick winter coat, and a surprisingly serious look in her eyes.

"And how do you know that?" The Doctor wondered aloud as he approached her, looking curious.

"Cause I do." The girl responded matter-of-factly. "And I'm tellin' ya, don't answer it." She added warningly.

"Well, if you know so much, tell me this…" The Doctor scoffed, "How can it be ringing?"

"It's not even a real phone." Amanda chimed in somewhat skeptically as the two of them turned back to the bizarre little thing to examine it again. "I mean, it's not really even attached to anything, right?" She questioned the Doctor. "It shouldn't actually be functioning." She added in explanation for the girl's sake.

But, when they turned back towards her to see how she would respond to said explanation, they were shocked to see that she had despaired.

"Wow!" Amanda gasped. "Girl's got some ninja skills." She joked in wonderment.

They both returned their eyes back to the phone though, as it continued trilling obnoxiously for their attention. The Doctor hesitantly reached out to pick up the receiver and brought it to his ear, being forced to bend slightly when Amanda tugged on his sleeve so that she could hear as well.

"Hello?" He chirped out rather pleasantly, making Amanda nearly giggle.

The device crackled a bit, but otherwise stayed silent.

"This is the Doctor speaking." He prompted again… and yet again there was no response.

"How may we help you?" Amanda tried, sounding like a peppy receptionist to match the Doctor's tone.

"Mummy?" The voice of a little boy crackled out.

Her eyes went wide at the sound of the little voice in shock because she recognized it from before.

"But—" She began to stutter out only to be cut of as the boy responded to her voice more eagerly.

"Mummy?!"

Noticing Amanda's reaction and the little mystery voice's reaction to her, the Doctor tried to take over the conversation.

"Who is this? Who's speaking?" He questioned more seriously now.

"Are you my mummy?" The boy asked, seeming to ignore the Doctor completely.

"Who is this?" Amanda repeated more insistently.

"Mummy!" The boy practically sang in response to her voice.

"How did you ring here?" The Doctor asked, trying to take over the conversation again. "This isn't a real phone…it's not wired up to anythin'. It's—"

"Mummy?" The boy cut him off, now sounding a bit disappointed, followed immediately by the sound of a dial-tone.

The two of them stared at the receiver for a moment in confusion before the Doctor placed it back onto its hook.

"Rose?!" He called out as he briefly popped his head through the TARDIS' doors just in case said companion had been waiting inside all this time. "Rose, are you in there?!"

But there was no response. Just then though, a loud crashing sound came from around the corner at the other end of the ally. The two quickly ran towards the noise to see what was going on…the bazaar instance with the phone temporarily set aside for the moment.

"Can't you hear 'em?" A woman nagged impatiently from the other side of a brick wall. "Into the shelter…"

The two companions crept up to a set of garbage bins intending to use them as a make-shift foot-stool to see into the yard on the other side.

"None of your nonsense, now, move it!" The woman ordered.

They peaked over the side of the wall just in time to see a rather plump woman in a floral dress ushering along a little boy rather edgily towards a small metal structure.

"Come on. Come, hurry up, get in there." She directed him with a bit of a shove. "Arthur!" She called back towards the house in frustration as if said man were an idiot. "Arthur, will you hurry up! Didn't you hear the siren?!"

"Middle of dinner, every night. Bloomin' Germans—Don't they eat?" Arthur growled rather testily, making both Amanda and the Doctor chuckle to one another.

"I can hear the planes!" The man's wife nagged him fearfully, trying to hurry him along.

"DON'T YOU EAT?!" He shouted up at the night sky while shaking his fist in anger, completely ignoring her.

"Keep your voice down! It's an air raid!" The woman reprimanded him as she shoved him through the little metal door. "Get in. Look, there's a war on."

And with that last remark, the door was slammed shut, but you could still hear the couple bickering from the other side. A few seconds later, with their curiosity sated, the time travelers were about to turn around so they could start their search for Rose when a bit of movement caught their eyes from the shadows. Focusing in that direction, they were just in time to catch a glimpse of the girl they they'd spoken to earlier sneakily dash her way towards the back door of the house.

"So I take it we're going to follow after the 'Ninja Girl', then?" Amanda wondered enthusiastically when she noticed that the Doctor was starting to heft himself over the wall.

"Yep!" He puffed as he landed in the yard on the other side before turning back around with this arms up to help her down only to see that she wasn't moving and giving him a look of incredulity.

"Well, come on then. It's not that far of a jump and I promise I'll catch you." He beckoned her both encouragingly and impatiently at the same time, completely misunderstanding her skepticism.

"You're joking, right?" She questioned his sanity. "Cause as much as I would usually love to, that's not going to happen—in case you've forgotten, Doctor, I'm wearing a skirt. Can't you just sonic the lock on the gate that has been situated next to us, literally, the entire time we've been spying here?"

"Oh…" He responded rather flatly, clearly embarrassed if the color of his ears were anything to go by. "Right then, I'll just—hold on." He fumbled as he retrieved said screwdriver while she hopped back down from the bins. "Here we are then." He prompted as he opened the gate for her with a jokingly dramatic sweep of his arm to allow her in.

Giggling at his silly behavior, she grabbed the arm he offered and playfully dragged him towards the back door to see what their little ninja was getting up to.

*****To Be Continued*****


End file.
